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
Le Grand Voyage (2004)
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Starring: Jacky Nercessian, Nicolas Cazale, Mohamed Majd
A middle-aged man of Moroccan descent (Mohamed Majd) embarks on a long journey from southern France to Mecca -- but for this crusade, he unexpectedly... Read more
Stray Dogs (2004)
7.2/10
Director: Marziyeh Meshkini
Marziyeh Meshkini's beautifully crafted and moving insight into post-Taliban Afghanistan follows the fortunes of a young brother and sister and the di... Read more
Masai - The Rain Warriors (2004)
6.5/10
Director: Pascal Plisson
Starring: Ngotiek Ole Mako, Paul Nteri Ole Sekenan, Parkasio Ole Muntet, Musurpei Ole Toro...
A group of un-tested Masai warriors sets out to bring back the mane of a mystical lion in hopes of ending the drought that threatens the very existenc... 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
Yesterday (2004)
7.8/10
Director: Darrell Roodt
Starring: Leleti Khumalo, Kenneth Khambula, Lihle Mvelase, Harriet Lenabe, Camilla Walker
The first major feature film to be made entirely in the Zulu language, writer/director Darrell Roodt returned to his homeland to tell a truly African... Read more
Turtles Can Fly (2004)
8.1/10
Director: Bahman Ghobadi
Starring: Soran Ebrahim, Hirsh Feyssal, Avaz Latif
On the border of Iraq and Turkey, in the days leading up to the second US-led war, a young technology-obsessed boy nicknamed Satellite convinces the v... Read more
Walk On Water (2004)
7.4/10
Director: Eytan Fox
Starring: Lior Ashkenazi, Knut Berger, Carolina Peters, Gidon Shemer
Eyal is a Mossad assassin sent to kill an aging Nazi war criminal. The target's grandaughter is living on a kibbutz in Israel and her brother is abou... Read more
Red Dust (2004)
6.9/10
Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Hilary Swank, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jamie Bartlett, Marius Weyers
Set against the backdrop of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission Hearings, Hilary Swank is an ex-pat South African practising law in the... Read more
Voices of Iraq (2004)
6.4/10
This ground-breaking documentary saw 150 digital cameras given out to the people of Iraq. They filmed their daily lives and documented their views an... Read more
Exils (2004)
Director: Tony Gatlif
Starring: Romain Duris, Lubna Azabal, Leila Makhlouf
Tony Gatlif's 'Exils', is an exuberant, free-wheeling, heartfelt journey swimming like a salmon against the traditional migrant tide of the Franco-Alg... Read more