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
Based on a true incident and using the family involved, this unique film tells a bizarre but engaging story. In Tehran, two twin daughters live as vir... Read more
This acclaimed heart-warming tale follows two young siblings in an Iranian city as they try to keep the loss of their sister's only shoes from their p... Read more
One of the great works of recent international cinema and the apex of contemporary Iranian film, Abbas Kiarostami's brilliant and deceptively simple f... Read more
Recounts the odyssey of an American filmmaker (Harvey Keitel) who returns to his Greek hometown after 35 years to pursue a dream of finding three reel... Read more
A nomadic tribe in south-east Iran, on the verge of extinction and renowned for weaving gabbeh's, is the setting for this idyllic tale of the love bet... Read more
A coming-of-age comedy/drama set in Tunisia. Twelve-year-old Noura is an impressionable boy who must learn to reconcile two conflicting worlds - the l... Read more
Regarded as one of the greatest films of the '90s, acclaimed director Abbas Kiarostami's brilliant exploration of a misguided cinephile's attempts to... Read more
Conceivably one of the finest films to come out of Africa, this stunning adaptation of an oral legend from Mali is set amidst the powerful Mali Empire... Read more
Xala ('Impotence') is a Senegalese social comedy, filmed in the Wolof language. A rich, corrupt business executive marries for the third time for the... Read more