Contretemps, a Bold Film on Lebanon’s Crises
Filmmaker Ghassan Salhab presents an immersive study of Lebanese youth, the silent isolation of mortality, and resistance.
Film Reviews
Gaza, Sudan, Israel/Palestine Documentaries Show in Thessaloniki
Three documentaries screened in Thessaloniki shed light on conflicts often absent from international media headlines.
My Favorite Cake, Iranian Cinema’s Bittersweet Ode to Love
Karim Goury reviews the Iranian film, "My Favorite Cake," a celebration of love in the twilight of life, in a society where prohibition and surveillance reign.
Freedom is a Combat Sport: On Tatami
Karim Goury reviews "Tatami," a sports combat film depicting the conflict between suppressive male law and individual female empowerment.
Depictions of Genocide: The Un-Imaginable Visibility of Extermination
A bleak and sobering account for those who may still have wanted to believe in the enlightening power of the image.
Dune in 2024: A World Beyond Saving
The meta-narrative in Frank Herbert's Dune trilogy foresees the modern disaster of never-ending colonialism and a planet destroyed by oil.
Asmae El Moudir’s The Mother of All Lies
Brittany Landorf reviews the first major film of director Asmae El Moudir, Morocco’s entry for the 2024 Academy Awards.
Hollywoodgate—New Doc Captures the Post-American Taliban
Iason Athanasiadis reviews a documentary of an Egyptian's observations of the first year of the Taliban's new regime.
Israeli & Palestinian Filmmakers Accused of Anti-semitism at Berlinale
Viola Shafik addresses the controversy at the 2024 Berlinale, following the screening of a Palestinian-Israeli "solidarity film."
Human Rights Films on Ownership of History, Women’s Bodies & Paintings
Malu Halasa offers an overview of three Middle Eastern films screening at the 2024 Human Rights Watch Film Festival in London.
Cyprus: Return to Petrofani with Ali Cherri & Vicky Pericleous
Arie Amaya-Akkermans talks to Lebanese and Cypriot artists about their work on the divided island of Cyprus.
Religious Misogyny Personified in Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider
Bavand Karim reviews the film "Holy Spider" by Ali Abbassi which coldly deconstructs the brutal nature of Iran’s religious patriarchy.
Clashing Cultures and Gender Politics in The Persian Version
Bavand Karim reviews "The Persian Version," a 2023 American comedy drama film directed and written by Maryam Keshavarz.
Sofia Alaoui’s Animalia is a Supernatural Thriller Shot in Morocco
As she nears the end of her pregnancy, Itto and her in-laws find their lives turned upside down by a supernatural event.
The Soil and the Sea: The Revolutionary Act of Remembering
Daniele Rugo's documentary investigates Lebanon's devastating civil war and ruminates on the conflict's unmarked mass graves.