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African & Middle Eastern

Alice has precious few (but building) films from the Middle East and even fewer from the vast continent of Africa. Middle Eastern films are often highly politicised, bringing subjects to the attention of audiences that would otherwise know little about them. Film makers are often dealing with various forms of political and social oppression and even armed conflicts to bring their stories to light. Exotic scenery, allegorical storytelling and close-up exposure to cultural norms, so different from our own, bring a kind of immersion only rivalled by being there. To find a title from a specific country use the By Country link on the left. Pictured: A Time for Drunken Horses

Half of a Yellow Sun (2013)

6.2/10
Director: Biyi Bandele
Starring: Thandie Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anika Noni Rose, Joseph Mawle, John Boyega

In the late 1960s, twin sisters Olanna (Thandie Newton) and Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) arrive back home in Nigeria, having finished their studies in En... Read more

My Tehran for Sale (2009)

6.5/10
Director: Granaz Moussavi
Starring: Asha Mehrabi, Amir Chegini, Mobina Karimi, Marzieh Vafamehr

Marzieh is a young female actress living in Tehran. The authorities ban her theatre work and, like many young people in Iran, she is forced to lead a... Read more

The Patience Stone (2012)

7.1/10
Director: Atiq Rahimi
Starring: Golshifteh Farahani

In a country torn apart by war, a young woman watches over her older husband. A bullet in the neck has reduced him to a comatose state. One day, the w... Read more

Moolaade (2004)

7.7/10
Director: Ousmane Sembene
Starring: Fatoumata Coulibaly, Maimouna Helene Diarra, Salimata Traore, Dominique Zeida

Written and directed by 81-year-old master filmmaker Ousmane Sembene, this incredible film tells the story of four girls desperate to avoid the 'purif... Read more

War Witch ( Rebelle ) (2012)

7.1/10
Director: Kim Nguyen
Starring: Rachel Mwanza, Alain Bastien, Serge Kanyinda, Ralph Prosper, Mizinga Mwinga

A.k.a. "Rebelle". Komona (Rachel Mwanza) is only 12 years old when she is kidnapped by rebel soldiers and enslaved to a life of guerrilla warfare in t... Read more

Men at Work (2006)

6.7/10
Director: Mani Haghighi
Starring: Mahnaz Afshar, Ahmad Hamed, Mahmoud Kalari, Reza Kianian

Four friends returning home from a skiing trip stumble upon a curiously large rock on the side of a mountain. What begins as a lighthearted project to... Read more

Abouna (2002)

6.7/10
Director: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Starring: Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa, Zara Haroun, Hamza Moctar Aguid

A.k.a. "Our Father". Set in the director's native Chad, the sensuous "Abouna" begins with the striking image of a man in Western dress crossing a dese... Read more

Times and Winds ( Bes Vakit ) (2006)

7.4/10
Director: Reha Erdem
Starring: Ozkan Ozen, Ali Bey Iscan

This award-winning and critically acclaimed film follows the lives of three friends on the verge of adolescence in a remote Turkish mountain village.... Read more

The Edge of Heaven (2007)

7.8/10
Director: Fatih Akin
Starring: Nurgul Yesilcay, Baki Davrak, Tuncel Kurtiz, Hanna Schygulla, Patrycia Ziolkowsk...

Turkish/German director Fatih Akin ('Head-On') brings together a deeply humanistic amd multi-layered drama as he follows the stories of six people cau... Read more

James' Journey to Jerusalem (2002)

7.5/10
Director: Ra'anan Alexandrowicz
Starring: Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe, Arie Elias, Salim Dau, Sandra Schonwald, Hugh Maseben...

A cannily droll mix of social commentary and modern fable, Israeli filmmaker Ra'anan Alexandrowicz's debut feature follows the adventures of James, a... Read more