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Films & DVDs on The Middle East  Text Size Increase Font Size Decrease Font Size
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    A

  • Afghanistan 1979: The War That Changed the WorldAfghanistan 1979: The War That Changed the World - A behind-the-scenes history of the Soviet Union's 10-year long war in Afghanistan.

  • Against My Will - The stories of three women who took refuge at the Dastak women's shelter in Pakistan, founded to help women fleeing abusive and murderous families.

  • All Restrictions End - Reflections on Islam and clothing, Iranian cinema, Persian painting and more characterize this thought-provoking artistic documentary.

  • Amira - A Palestinian girl's world is turned upside down when she learns the man she grew up idolizing is not her real father.

  • And There Was IsraelAnd There Was Israel - The film examines the creation of the State of Israel and looks at the history of Zionism (1896-1948) under the very specific angle of the responsibility of the western world.

  • Antisemitism - Director Ilan Ziv traces the origins of today's antisemitism in France from the Middle Ages to the infamous Dreyfus Affair.

  • B

  • A Baptism of Fire - A new generation of freelance photographers flies low-cost to war zones on their own dime in the hope of selling images to printed media or websites.

  • Bastards: Outcast in Morocco - One woman's fight to have her daughter legitimized by the Moroccan judicial system.

  • The Battle for the Arab ViewerThe Battle for the Arab Viewer - A behind-the-scenes look at the rivalry between the Arab world's two main TV networks - Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya.

  • Birth - The story of a woman caught up in a cycle of pregnancies because of social pressure to produce a male child, and two other stories of babies, in need, or absent, in Arab countries.

  • C

  • Caught in the Crossfire - Chronicles three diverse Arab New Yorkers - a beat cop, a minister, and a high-level diplomatic correspondent - as they wrestle with their place in wartime America.

  • Chantal Akerman Four Films - Four documentaries spanning two decades are included in this 5-disc box set, with a 16-page booklet and bonus film about the late filmmaker.

  • Crimes of HonourCrimes of Honour - Filmed in Jordan and on the West Bank, investigates the terrible reality of femicide—the killing of sisters or daughters suspected of losing their virginity, for having refused an arranged marriage or having left a husband.

  • D

  • Democracy on Deadline - A survey of journalists working in various media and languages around the world, as they grapple with their relationships to government, and the dangers of speaking truth to power.

  • The Destruction of Memory - Explores the intentional destruction of priceless artwork, artifacts and historical sites through war and terrorism.

  • Down There - Akerman spends a brief period on her own in an apartment by the sea in Tel Aviv, contemplating her family, her Jewish identity and her childhood.

  • E

  • Edward Said - Two FilmsEdward Said - Two Films - Two films that provide a uniquely comprehensive, intimate and moving portrait of one of the great and lasting thinkers of the 20th century.

  • Edward Said: The Last Interview - An extended discussion with Prof. Edward Said filmed less than a year before his death. The noted literary critic and Palestinian activist delivers his final testament about his life and work as a committed intellectual.

  • The End of the Ottoman Empire - Part 1 - The Ottomans ruled three continents for six centuries. How did their rule end, and how does this history inform politics today?

  • The End of the Ottoman Empire - Part 2 - The Ottomans ruled three continents for six centuries. How did their rule end, and how does this history inform politics today?

  • The End of the Ottoman EmpireThe End of the Ottoman Empire - The Ottomans ruled three continents for six centuries. How did their rule end, and how does this history inform politics today?

  • Exile, A Myth Unearthed - A new look at history that re-shapes the Middle East conflict.

  • F

  • Final Fitting - Showcases the changing cultural styles of Iran and its clerical elite through its portrait of one master tailor and his time-honored craft.

  • First Passion - Largely overlooked by historians and film buffs, the curious 1912 epic "From the Manger to the Cross" depicted the life of Jesus.

  • For Those Who Sail to HeavenFor Those Who Sail to Heaven - Captures the Sufi rites of the annual Opet Festival in Egypt.

  • Forced Confessions -
    Since its earliest days, the Iranian regime has relied on forced, televised confessions to humiliate and discredit its opponents and instill fear in its citizens

  • Fragments of a Revolution - A view of the Iranian Green Revolution protest movement, which followed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed 2009 election victory.

  • G

  • Goodbye Mubarak! - Egypt in the months leading up to the Tahrir Square demonstrations—and a revolution already simmering under the surface.

  • Grassroots in Dry LandsGrassroots in Dry Lands - Tells the story of three unconventional social workers united by a common vision that transcends the antagonisms between their countries.

  • H

  • Home, or Maids in My Family - A Moroccan woman confronts her liberal bourgeois family and their servants about the relationship between them (Arab Diaries).

  • I

  • Inside Out - Transsexuals in Iran. Intimate conversations with doctors, religious authorities, and transsexuals about the mind/body conflict, Islamic interpretations, and the impact of sex-change treatments on their lives.

  • Iran, Veiled Appearances - Depicts clashes in modern Iran between extreme fundamentalism and young people who are pushing for social change, filming with soldiers, religious leaders, students, artists and intellectuals.

  • Iran: A Cinematographic RevolutionIran: A Cinematographic Revolution - The intertwined history of Iran and its cinema, from the first silent films to the talkies, from the Shah's regime to the Islamic revolution, and the international cinematic success of today.

  • K

  • The Koran: Back to the Origins of the Book - Explores the origins and history of the Koran - where Muslim tradition and scientific research converge.

  • L

  • Les Enfants Terribles - In Turkey, Mahmut and Zeynep are siblings who clash with their parents while pushing back against the familial expectations to marry young.

  • Living With The Past - Cairo is one of the few medieval cities in the world that remains relatively intact. This a portrait of Darb al-Ahmar, a neighborhood in the old city now facing a process of radical change.

  • Love and MarriageLove and Marriage - The stories of people confronting obstacles to their personal relationships and happiness in Algeria and Lebanon.

  • M

  • A Maid for Each - Documentary portrait of a housemaid agency in Beirut, Lebanon.

  • The Moroccan Labyrinth - The little-known history of Spain's bloody colonial ambitions in North Africa, and how they became a prelude to the Spanish Civil War.

  • Mustapha Kemal Ataturk - The story of the founder of the Republic of Turkey, called Atatürk ("the father of the Turks").

  • N

  • Naji Al-AliNaji Al-Ali - Examines the forces that shaped cartoonist Naji Al-Ali as an artist, as a human being, and shows how his experiences mirror those of other exiled Palestinians.

  • Nefertiti's Daughters - Female street artists are on the front lines in the fight for freedom in Egypt today.

  • Neither Allah, Nor Master! - An explosive, personal look at secularism in the Muslim country of Tunisia.

  • O

  • Out of Place - Traces the life and work of Edward Said (1935-2003), the Palestinian-born intellectual who wrote widely on history, literature, music, philosophy and politics.

  • P

  • Palestine: Story of a LandPalestine: Story of a Land - The story of Palestine from the nineteenth century through current times.

  • The Perfumed Garden - An exploration of the myths and realities of sensuality and sexuality in Arab society.

  • The Price of Change - Examines the effect of non-domestic work on five Egyptian women.

  • R

  • The Road to Kerbala - Filmmaker Katia Jarjoura joins religious celebrants on the 100-kilometer walk from Baghdad to Kerbala, offering rare insights into the political and religious turmoil of U.S.-occupied Iraq.

  • A Road to MeccaA Road to Mecca - The story of Leopold Weiss, a Viennese Jew who converted to Islam in the 1920's and became the Muslim scholar Muhammad Asad.

  • Rojek - Interviews members of the Islamic State who want to establish a caliphate.

  • S

  • Saints and Spirits - Explores the personal dimensions of Islam during three religious events in Morocco.

  • Saving Mes Aynak - Afghan archaeologist Qadir Temori races against time to save a 5,000-year-old archaeological site from imminent demolition.

  • Shi'ismShi'ism - Across Iran, Lebanon and Iraq a cross-section of major contemporary Shiite figures discuss and debate the history, theology and values of this minority branch of Islam.

  • Sisters - A family's relationship is shaken when Zorah (Isabelle Adjani), the eldest, decides to write a play based on the haunting and traumatizing events of their childhood.

  • State of Terrorism - The war that was launched in the name of defense of our democracies might have become its biggest threat.

  • Stony Paths - Following in his great-grandfather's footsteps, Arnaud undertakes a trek across Anatolia to study the Armenian Genocide.

  • T

  • TadmorTadmor - Eight former detainees recall the years spent being tortured in Syria's notorious Tadmor Prison.

  • Tahrir: Liberation Square - Director Stefano Savona lived and filmed on the front lines in Tahrir Square, Cairo, to make this film from the heart of the protests that overthrew Mubarak in Egypt last year.

  • Tehran Has No More Pomegranates - This musical comedy plays with fact and fiction to depict contemporary Iranian life.

  • This Way Up - Near Jerusalem, the construction of the separation wall continues, a few feet from a senior citizens' home.

  • Tinghir-JerusalemTinghir-Jerusalem - Filmmaker and historian Kamal Hachkar goes in search of a community that has vanished - and confronts fundamental questions of his own identity in the process.

  • Tunisia, Year Zero - Follow the day by day events during the year after the fall of Ben Ali while Tunisian's elected a new a government and draft a constitution.

  • V

  • A Veiled Revolution - Considers the possible reasons for modern Egyptian women's turn back to tradition.

  • Voyage in G Major - At 91 years of age, Aime decides to finally fulfil his dream of travelling to Morocco. His photographer grandson goes with him.

  • W

  • WorkWork - Explores the hopes and aspirations of Arab men and women as embodied in the dreams and realities of flying.

  • Y

  • Young Freud in Gaza - Ayed is a young psychotherapist in Gaza. The film shows his consultations with a variety of patients, and the challenges he and they face.

  • Youth - Four young women face issues of independence and empowerment in Algeria, Egypt, and Lebanon.

  • Z

  • Ziyara - Inviting viewers on a cinematic pilgrimage to her homeland of Morocco, Bitton explores her Jewish roots through the sphere of the Muslim guardians of the nation’s Jewish memory, centered around the tradition of "ziyara".

More Films & DVDs on The Middle East
  • Al Jazeera - A behind-the-scenes look at Al Jazeera, the most important television news channel in the Arab world. ** Viewer's Choice, 2003 Middle East Studies Association FilmFest **

  • Arab Diaries - A five-part documentary series that presents a fresh, insightful picture of contemporary life across the Arab world.

  • Back to Ararat - Examines this century's first genocide - the killing of 1.5 million Armenians during World War I.

  • Baghdad Twist - A "visual memoir" blending photos, archival footage and Super-8 home movies of the filmmaker's Jewish family in Iraq until their departure for a new home in Canada in 1970.

  • Ben Barka - A biography of Moroccan opposition leader Mehdi Ben Barka, abducted on the streets of Paris and murdered in 1965, the infamous "Ben Barka affair."

  • A Child's Century of War - Takes the viewer on a journey through the past century - the bloodiest in history - from the perspective of children, and tells their stories in their voices.

  • Drowning by Bullets - Exposes the massacre, cover-up, and the years of denial of what was undoubtedly one of the darkest nights in the history of France.

  • A Female Cabby in Sidi Bel-Abbès - The story of the only woman cab driver in the Algerian city of Sidi Bel-Abbès.

  • Human Weapon - The first sober, in-depth examination of the history of suicide bombing. Filmed in Iran, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Israel, Palestine, Europe and the United States.

  • The Hundred Years' War: Personal Notes -

  • The Junction - They had little in common in life, but Israeli soldier David Biri and Palestinian Fahmi Abou Ammouneh are linked in death, their fates tied to a Gaza crossroads between an Israeli settlement and Palestinian refugee camp.

  • On Our Land -

  • On the Edge of Peace - Chronicles the first year of the implementation of the Israeli-Palestinian accords as experienced by both Palestinians and Israelis from all walks of life.

  • People Power - The first in depth look at non-violent revolutions around the world.

  • The Road to Peace: Israelis and Palestinians - Explores the implications of an historic crossroads in Israeli-Palestinian relations - a process now in great jeopardy.

  • Shrine Under Siege - Describes the coalition formed by Fundamentalist U.S. Christians and militant Israeli Jews to destroy the Dome of the Rock, Islam's third holiest shrine, and to build a new Jewish temple in its place.

  • States of Unbelonging - The core of this haunting meditation on war, land, the Bible, and filmmaking is a portrait of Revital Ohayon, an Israeli filmmaker and mother killed near the West Bank.

  • Stealing the Fire - In 1996, the German nuclear engineer Karl-Heinz Schaab was accused of selling secret information to Iraq. But was Schaab a shrewd traitor or a simple pawn in a much more extensive network?

  • Stories of Honor and Shame - Through a series of remarkable personal accounts, fifteen women reveal their roles in the patriarchal Islamic society of the Gaza Strip where men dictate most aspects of life.

  • The Struggle for Peace - Introduces grassroots organizations with very different perspectives on how to bring about a peaceful settlement to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

  • Syria: the Assads' Twilight - A lively documentary history of Syria's Assad regime, tracing its origins and influence, even as it clings to power in the face of the Arab spring.

  • 20 Years Old in the Middle East - Filmed after the fall of Saddam Hussein, this film traverses the region - from Jordan to Syria, Iran, and Lebanon - to take the pulse of Arab and Iranian youth.

  • The Virgin Diaries - Two young women journey through Morocco in search of answers to their questions about virginity, sex and Islam.

  • The Virgin, the Copts and Me - A filmmaker's revealing, personal exploration of Egypt's Copt community.

  • We Loved Each Other So Much - The Lebanese singer Hoda Nouhad Haddad, better known as Fairuz, is a legend in the Arab world. The stories of diverse Beirut inhabitants and of their love for her provide a moving commentary on Lebanon's tumultuous history.

  • The Women of Hezbollah - A portrait of two women activists in the Hezbollah, and an examination of the personal, social and political factors of their commitment to this Islamic movement in Lebanon.

  • Women Under Siege - Looks at the daily lives of six women in a besieged Palestinian refugee camp.

  • Zinat, One Special Day - Zinat, the first woman from the Island of Qeshm in the south of Iran to remove the traditional face mask (Boregheh), is running for elected office.