Film Series
Contemporary Arab Cinema
The beauty, complexity, and diversity of Arab culture shines through in this second annual survey of vital new works from some of the Middle East and North Africa’s boldest and most innovative filmmakers. Grappling unflinchingly with issues of prejudice, women’s rights, ethnic identity, sociopolitical upheaval, history, and tradition, the eclectic array of documentaries and narratives featured here are by turns personal, political, funny, and fervent dispatches from an ever-evolving region.
Curated by Lina Matta
This deft satire finds the warmly human middle ground in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Sensorial, immersive portraits of boundary-pushing Muslim dancers, actors, and artists at work.
A boy, a girl, and a gun form a love triangle in this freewheeling South Sudanese farce.
Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Khateab chronicles five years of her life during civil war.
A Tunisian father searches for the truth about his radicalized son’s death.
Lebanese documentarian Cyril Aris’ intensely intimate exploration of family ties and lies.
The body swap comedy gets an infectiously goofy Gulf State spin.
A leprosy survivor embarks on a journey towards acceptance in this stirring tale of hope.
A boy fights to survive on the streets of Beirut in Nadine Labaki’s neorealist stunner.
A stunning immersion into the world of a jihadist family by Syrian documentarian Talal Derki.
This heart-pounding romance is a milestone of Yemeni cinema.
Class and gender tensions are unleashed during a wild night out in Cairo.