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Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the ALADIN catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible; for example, this filmography was created primarily by selecting from the results of the following keyword search: To find titles acquired after this filmography was last updated, use keyword searching in ALADIN. |
Feature Films | Documentary Films
Abouna. France, Chad. 2002. (84 min.). After two young Chadian boys discover their father has abandoned them, they embark on a desperate quest to bring him home. In Chad Arabic with optional English subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 1270
Al abwab al moghlaka = Closed doors. Egypt, France. 1999. (109 min.). Mohamad, a highly impressionable young man who embraces fundamentalist ideas as a way of dealing with the confusion of adolescence and sexual awakening. Arabic dialogue; English subtitles. DVD 372
Al-mohager = The emigrant. Egypt, France. 1994. (123 min.). Ram is an intellectual who dreams of leaving his family's nomadic life to study agriculture in Egpyt, but his jealous and abusive older brothers sell him into slavery. Ram manages to overcome his hardships and win the admiration of royalty, though his change of fortune carries a high price. In Arabic or English; subtitles in English. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5623
Alexandria why?. Egypt, Algeria. 1979. (133 min.). 18-year-old Yehia retreats from the poverty, death and suffering all around him in World War II Egypt and dreams of one day becoming a Hollywood filmmaker. But after he falls in love and discovers the harsh truths behind the European occupation of his country, Yehia reassesses his identity and allegiances. In Arabic, with English subtitles. DVD 462
Barakat! = Enough! France, Algeria. 2006. (94 min.). The story of two women. Emel is a Westerner whose husband, a journalist, is missing - perhaps kidnapped or even killed. Khadija is an older woman who has lived through the country's decades-long struggle. Together they search for Emel's husband. Arabic and French dialogue; English subtitles. DVD 1975
La bataille d'Alger = The battle of Algiers. Italy, Algeria. 1966. (125 min.). Focuses on the harrowing events of 1957, a key year in Algeria's struggle for independence from France. Recreates the tumultuous Algerian uprising against the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, the French torture prisoners for information and the Algerians resort to terrorism in their quest for independence. Children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés. The French win the battle, but ultimately lose the war as the Algerian people demonstrate that they will no longer be suppressed. French and Arabic dialogue, optional English subtitles. DVD 950
Bikur ha-Tizmoret = The band's visit. Israel, France. 2007. (87 min.). The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrives in Israel from Egypt for a cultural event. Once there, they find the expected delegation is not there to meet them. Arrangements to get to their destination of Petah Tiqva have not been taken care of either. They find their own ride and arrive instead at the remote town of Beit Hatikva. Stuck there until the next morning's bus, the band, lead by the repressed Tawfiq Zacharaya, gets help from the worldly lunch owner, Dina, who offers to put them up for the night. As the band settles in the best it can, each of the members attempts to get along with the natives in their own way. What follows is a special night of quiet happenings and confessions as the band makes its own impact on the town and the town on them. Hebrew, Arabic and English dialogue, English subtitles; closed-captioned. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2755
Divine intervention: a chronicle of love and pain Yadon ilaheyya. France, Morocco, Germany, Palestine. 2002. (90 min.). During the Middle East conflict: Santa Claus is chased by school children; Israeli police seek out tourists; a Palestinian collaborator's home is bombed daily; a female ninja appears from the sky; and lovers are separated by a checkpoint. In Arabic with English and Hebrew subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 750
Doa al karawan = The nightingale's prayer. Egypt. 1959. (126 min.). "This compelling tale of love and betrayal, set in the upper Egyptian countryside, follows the story of Amna as she plots her revenge on the engineer who destoryed her family's honor. [The Nightingale's Prayer is] a gripping portrait of a courageous young woman's rebellion against tradition and poverty"--Container. In Arabic, with available English or French subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5619
An Egyptian story = La mémoire. Egypt. 1982. (127 min.). In the middle of his own heart surgery, an Egyptian filmmaker remembers his life. In fact his old self, as a child, is accused of attempted murder of his new self. Through the metaphoric trial, we are drawn into his life in relation with the Egyptian revolution, his constant need for success, and the effect the American Dream has on him. In Arabic, with English subtitles and French credits. DVD 463
La fille de Keltoum = Keltoum's daughter. France, Belgium, Tunisia. 2001. (101 min.). "A young Swiss woman travels to her birthplace - an isolated, barren Berber settlement in the mountainous desert landscape of Algeria - to find her biological mother, who she has never met. The perilous journey immerses her in a world virtually untouched by contemporary society, one that still clings to tribal mores and strict religious codes of conduct" -- Container. In Arabic and French, with optional English subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5608
Ha-Kalah ha-Surit = The Syrian bride. France, Germany, Israel. 2004. (97 min.). Mona's wedding day may be the saddest day of her life. Once she crosses the border between Israel and Syria to get married, she will never be allowed back to her family in the Golan Heights. One audio track which includes Arabic, Hebrew, English, Russian or French dialogue with optional English subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2634
Halfaouine = The rooftop hopper. Tunisia, France, Italy. 1990. (96 min.). Noura is an inquisitive 13-year-old whose eyes are opened to his own sexual desires when he visits the local Turkish bathhouse with his mother. Gazing upon the spectacular array of unclothed women and girls, Noura begins to experience his first pangs of longing. But just as Noura is awakening to the pleasures of the fair sex, he risks being wrestled from their tender, affectionate companionship and being thrust into the callow and rigid company of men. Arabic dialogue, English or Spanish subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 732
Omaret yakobean = Yacoubian building. Egypt. 2006 (162 min.). We meet the residents of the Yacoubian building and through them learn something about the city of Cairo, albeit the more disturbing side of corruption, fundamentalism, prostitution, sexuality, and drugs. In Arabic with optional subtitles in French, German, English or Arabic. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 3279
The Other = L’Autre. Egypt. 1999. (106 min.) Chahine exposes the links between power and fanaticism and denounces intolerance in this bitter portrait of globalization and terrorism. Adam, the son of a rich businessman, falls for Hanane, a journalist investigating corruption among the wealthy elite. In Arabic with English Subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5605
Paradise now. Palestine, France, Israel. 2005. (ca. 91 min.). The story of what may be the last 48 hours in the lives of two Palestinian men who have been recruited as suicide bombers. When they are intercepted at the Israeli border, a young woman who discovers their plan causes them to reconsider their actions. In Arabic with optional English, French, or Spanish subtitles. DVD 2025
Rachida. Algeria, France. 2002. (100 min.). Rachida lives and teaches in an old neighborhood in Algeria. Like most Algerians, she thinks she is far removed from the bloody conflict the country is in, until one day she is attacked by a terrorist group. The terrorists ask her to plant a bomb in her school. After refusing, they shoot her in cold blood. Miraculously, she lives and seeks refuge in a neighboring village. In Arabic and French with English subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 795
Sous les bombes = Under the bombs. 2007 France, Lebanon, UK. (98 min.). "During a cease-fire in the Lebanon-Israel conflict of 2006, Tony, a Christian taxi-driver, brings Zeina, a Shiite woman from Beirut, to the heart of the conflict in the country's south. While they scour the rubble of local towns for Zeina's son, they discover that despite their very different backgrounds they have much in common. During their trip through the desolate countryside, the two travelers develop a deep bond as a response to the death surrounding them. Shot entirely on location during the summer of 2006, in the middle of the ruins of war-torn Lebanon. Aractingi only hired two professional actors; the rest are real refugees, journalists, soldiers, etc., playing themselves"--Container. Arabic dialogue with English subtitles. DVD 4091
Thartharah fawq al-Nil = Adrift on the Nile. Egypt. 1971. (115 min.). A group of hedonistic middle-aged friends gather each night on a luxurious houseboat for dancing, love-making and smoking hashish. When a young news reporter visits the houseboat to write a story on the group, she is outraged to learn the tragic depths of their social alienation. Soundtrack in Arabic; subtitles in English or French. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5617
Un été à La Goulette = A summer in La Goulette. Tunisia, France, Belgium. 1996. (100 min.). Youssef is a Muslim, Jojo is Jewish and Giuseppi is an Italian Catholic, and they are best of friends until each of their daughters swears to lose their virginity by a certain date. To make matters worse, each daughter sets her sights on a boy of a different religion, thus challenging an inviolable taboo and causing a rift between their fathers. As the families resolve their differences, the Six Day War breaks out in the Middle East, which will divide Jews and Arabs the world over. In Arabic, French and Italian with English subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 3887
Urs al-jalil = Wedding in Galilée. Israel, France. 1987. (112 min.). The elder of a Palestinian village under Israeli military rule, wants permission to hold a traditional wedding for his son that will go past the imposed curfew. The Army commander agrees on the condition that he and his officers be invited as guests of honor at the ceremony. In Hebrew, Arabic and Turkish with optional English subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 4059
Zaman, l'homme des roseaux = Zaman, the man from the reeds. Iraq. 2003. (76 min.). Zaman and his wife Najma have built their happy life together in a house of reeds. When Najma falls ill, the doctor tells them she needs surgery or some medicine he does not have. Zaman sets off in his boat and journeys to Baghdad for the cure. In Arabic with English subtitles; credits in French. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 559
11'09"01 September 11: a film: 11 directors from different countries and cultures. Includes directors from Egypt and Israel. 2002. (ca. 135 min.). Eleven filmmakers from eleven countries reflect on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in short films lasting 11 minutes, 9 seconds and 1 frame. In English, French, Japanese, Arabic, Bosnian, Hebrew and Persian with optional English and French subtitles. DVD 1329
3 times divorced. Israel. 2007. (74 min.). Khitam, a Gaza-born Palestinian woman, was married off in an arranged match to an Israeli Palestinian, followed him to Israel and bore him six children. When her husband divorced her in absentia in the Sharia Muslim court and gained custody of the children, Khitam was left with nothing. She cannot contact her children, has no property and no citizenship. Although married to an Israeli, a draconian law passed in 2002 barring any Palestinian from gaining Israeli citizenship has made her an illegal resident there. Now she is out on a dual battle, the most crucial of her life: against the court which always rules in favor of the husband, and against the state in a last-ditch effort to gain citizenship and reunite with her children. In Arabic and Hebrew; with English and some Arabic subtitles. DVD 5504
About Baghdad. 2004. (90 min.). In July 2003 Sinan Antoon, an exiled Iraqi writer and poet, returned to Baghdad to see what has become of his city after wars, sanctions, decades of oppression and violence, and now occupation. Antoon takes us on a journey exploring what Iraqis think and feel about the post-war situation and the complex relationship between the US and Iraq. In English and Arabic with English subtitles. DVD 1812
Ahlaam = Dreams. Iraq. 2005. (110 min.). Presents the true stories of three Iraqi people who endured life in a psychiatric hospital in Baghdad during the Iraq War and then were in the streets after their hospital is decimated. The film was shot in Baghdad in 2004. The Iraqi filmmaker had a camera in one hand and an AK-47 in the other. His crew was beaten and lined up to be shot by insurgents, the 14-year old boom boy was shot in the leg, and someone from the cast was kidnapped. Somehow the footage survived. In Arabic with optional English subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5629
Alexandria again and forever = Alexandrie encore et toujours. Egypt, France. 1989. (105 min.). In this autobiographical film, Yehia, the director's alter ego, joins a hunger strike which has rallied the Egyptian film industry. As the strike goes on, Yehia is overwhelmed by his infatuation with the young actor Amr, but this infatuation is soon overshadowed by his interest in Nadia, the young actress he wants to cast in his next feature. The last film in the director's Alexandria trilogy. Title and credits in Arabic and French ; dialogue in Arabic with English subtitles. DVD 464
All about Darfur. Sudan, UK. 2005. (82 min.). "Up until now the perilous situation in Sudan has been seen only from outside the country. All About Darfur offers an opportunity to hear it explained by eloquent, diverse, even contradictory voices from within Sudan. The director talks to ordinary Sudanese in outdoor tea shops, markets, refugee camps and living rooms about how deeply rooted prejudices could suddenly burst into a wild fire of ethnic violence."--www.newsreel.org. In Arabic and English with English subtitles. DVD 2006
The blood of my brother. Iraq, USA. 2005. (81 min.). Go behind the scenes of one Iraqi family's struggle to survive amidst the carnage of the growing Shi’a insurgency. Nineteen-year-old Ibrahim dreams of revenge when his brother is shot and killed by an American patrol. English and Arabic dialogue, English subtitles. DVD 1815
Checkpoint. Israel. 2003. (79 min.). Over three million Palestinians live in The West Bank and Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli military authority since 1967. This documents the impact of the enforced boundaries know as "checkpoints" on the Israeli border, the border guards drafted to monitor them and the Palestinian citizens who must pass through them daily. Hebrew and Arabic dialogue, English subtitles. DVD 3376
Control room. USA. 2004. (ca. 86 min.). A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet. Criticized by Cabinet members and Pentagon officials for reporting with a pro-Iraqi bias, and strongly condemned for frequently airing civilian casualties as well as footage of American POW's, the station has revealed (and continues to show the world) everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration does not want the public to see. English and Arabic dialogue, Arabic, English, French or Spanish subtitles. DVD 962
Encounter point. USA. 2006. (85 min.). Created by a Palestinian, Israeli, North and South American team, this film tells the story of an Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israeli mother and a wounded Palestinian bereaved brother who risk their safety and public standing to press for an end to the conflict. They are at the vanguard of a movement to push Palestinian and Israeli societies to a tipping point, forging a new consensus for nonviolence and peace. Perhaps years from now, their actions will be recognized as a catalyst for constructive change in the region. Arabic, Hebrew, and English dialogue with subtitles in English, Arabic, Hebrew, French and Portuguese. DVD 3372
Gaza Strip. USA. 2002. (74 min.). American filmmaker James Longley follows a range of Palestinian Arabs living in the Gaza Strip and events following the election of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, including the first major armed incursion by the Israeli Army (IDF) forces in spring 2001. Filmed almost entirely in the vérite style without narration and with little explanation, this documentary focuses on ordinary Palestinians rather than politicians presenting a rare look inside the stark realities of Palestinian life and death under Israeli military occupation. In Arabic, English, and French with English subtitles. DVD 5206
Iraq in fragments. USA. 2006. (225 min.). Documentary in three parts. Offers a series of intimate, passionately-felt portraits: A fatherless 11-year-old is apprenticed to the domineering owner of a Baghdad garage; Sadr followers in two Shiite cities rally for regional elections while enforcing Islamic law at the point of a gun; a family of Kurdish farmers welcomes the U.S. presence, which has allowed them a measure of freedom previously denied. American director James Longley spent more than two years filming in Iraq to create this stunningly photographed, poetically rendered documentary of the war-torn country as seen through the eyes of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. Arabic and Kurdish, with English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish subtitles. DVD 3049
A jihad for love. USA, UK, France, Germany, Australia. 2007. (81 min.). First feature documentary to explore the complex global intersections between Islam and homosexuality. The film travels a wide geographic arc, presenting lives from India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa and France. Always filming in secret and as a Muslim, Parvez makes the film from within the faith, depicting Islam with the same respect that the film's characters show for it. In English, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Hindi, Turkish, French dialogue ; with English subtitles. DVD 5640
Meeting resistance. USA. 2007. (85 min.). A look at the Iraqi insurgency, through individuals involved in the struggle against coalition forces, as they reveal their motivations, hopes and goals, and more. Arabic dialogue; English subtitles. DVD 4168
My country my country. USA. 2006. (90 min.). Working alone in Iraq over eight months, director/cinematographer Laura Poitras creates an extraordinarily intimate portrait of Iraqis living under U.S. occupation. Kurdish, Arabic or English dialogue, English subtitles. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2569
My home, your war. Australia. 2006. (52 min.). Beginning shortly before the start of the Iraq war, a documentary shot in Baghdad over three years time, following the members of an Iraqi family as they deal with the disruptions and terrors of war. Shows how war and regime change strain close relationships, nurture extremism and change a family's destiny. In Arabic with English subtitles. DVD 4766
Oil in Iraq curse or blessing? 2003. (52 min.). The film explains Saddam Hussein's rise to power from being the oil minister, the role of the Ba'ath party in modernizing Iraq with the help of oil profits; and the conflict with its neighbors Iran and Kuwait over control of the oil. It shows the excesses of power and curtailment of personal freedom inflicted by Saddam, and the greed of Iraq and Iran regarding Kurdish oil. In Arabic with English subtitles and narration. DVD 1606
Peace, propaganda, & the promised land U.S. media & the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. USA. 2004. (78 min.). This documentary contends that the foreign policy interests of American political elites, working in combination with Israeli public relations strategies, exercise a powerful influence over news reporting about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Combines U.S. and British television news footage with observations from analysts, journalists, and political activists. Examines the factors that have distorted the United States' media coverage and, in turn, American public opinion. Arabic, English, French, Hebrew or Spanish subtitles. DVD 1928
Promises. USA. 2001. (102 min.). Follows the journey of a filmmaker who travels in and around Jerusalem, from a Palestinian refugee camp to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, where he meets seven Palestinian and Israeli children who exist in separate worlds, divided by physical, historical, and emotional boundaries although they live only 20 minutes apart. Explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the eyes of these children and tells the story of a few children who dared to cross the lines to meet their neighbors. Soundtrack in Arabic, Hebrew and English with English subtitles. DVD 1532
Route 181 fragments of a journey to Palestine - Israel. Belgium, France, Germany, UK. 2004. (402 min.). In 2002 Khleifi and Sivan embark on a journey. They film along the partition line drawn up by UN resolution 181 that was to separate the Jews and Arabs of Palestine. Film in Arabic and Hebrew; optional subtitles in Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, English, and Italian. DVD 5281-5284
Saudi solutions. 2006. (77 min.). Profiles several professional Saudi women in order to understand what it means to be a modern woman in a fundamentalist Islamic society. In English and Arabic with English subtitles. DVD 2369
To die in Jerusalem. Israel, USA. 2007. (75 min.). "Recounts the heart-wrenching story of two teenage girls: 17-year-old Israeli student Rachel Levy and her killer, 18-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber Ayat al-Akhras, who died together at a Jerusalem market in 2002. The horrific incident ignited international outrage and set in motion one mother's journey to meet the mother of her daughter's killer. More than four years later, they finally meet in an emotionally charged encounter that underscore the deep roots of the Israel-Palestinian conflict" -- Container. Predominantly in Hebrew & Arabic with English subtitles. Portions in English. DVD 4865
Umm Kulthum a voice like Egypt. Egypt, USA. 1996. (68 min.). Born a peasant in 1898, Umm Kulthum 's singing earned a position of great wealth and influence in the Arab world. Includes concert footage, film clips and interviews. This film places her life in the context to 20th century Egypt. In Arabic with English subtitles and English narration. DVD 3899
What is said about Arabs and terrorism. 2006. (135 min.). The first of a multi-faceted documentary project focusing on Arabs and terrorism. Researched in six languages and filmed on location in eleven countries with 120 experts and politicians as well as hundreds of street interviews across the United States, Europe, and the Arab world. The first 3-episode miniseries of the documentary component of this project examines the dominant discourse on terrorism in the United States and Europe, and offers critics an opportunity to respond. The resulting documentary turns a critical eye on current American perceptions regarding the hypothetical link between Arabs and terrorism, while cutting to the heart of the historic and ongoing conflict of ideas between the Arab World and the West. Dialogue in Arabic, English, French, Hebrew, and Spanish, with subtitles in English. DVD 389
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