Login

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

The Apple (1998)

7.3/10
Director: Samira Makhmalbaf
Starring: Massoumeh Naderi, Zahra Naderi, Azizeh Mohamadi

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

Children of Heaven (1997)

8.3/10
Director: Majid Majidi
Starring: Mohammad Amir Naji, Karnal Mirkarimi, Amir Farrokh Hashemian

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

Taste Of Cherry (1997)

7.7/10
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Starring: Homayoun Ershadi, Adolhossein Bagheri

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

Ulysses' Gaze (1995)

7.6/10
Director: Theo Angelopoulos
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Erland Josephson, Maia Morgenstern

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

Gabbeh (1995)

7.1/10
Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Starring: Shaghayegh Djodat, Hossein Moharami, Abbas Sayahi

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

Halfaouine: Boy of the Terraces (1990)

6.7/10
Director: Ferid Boughedir
Starring: Mustapha Adouani

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

Close-Up (1990)

8.3/10
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Starring: Hossain Sabzian, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abolfazl Ahankhah, Mehdrad Ahankhah

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

Yeelen (1987)

Director: Souleymane Cisse
Starring: Balla Moussa Keita, Issiaka Kane, Soumba Traoure

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 (1975)

6.8/10
Director: Ousmane Sembene
Starring: Thiero Leye, Seun Samb

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