So many Israelis still wax nostalgic about that old Friday afternoon ritual, back in the times when television had just one channel. Everyone would watch the Arab movie of the week, but did anybody ever wonder how Israel’s official TV station was able to transcend hostile boundaries to obtain these films, and why it insisted on showing movies made by “the enemy”? The Arabic-language movie from Egypt let some of us escape back to our original homeland, and let others peek out from our “villa in the jungle” and catch a glimpse of our neighbors across the border. But most of us didn’t really want to see the people whose culture, anguish, and aspirations were reflected on our screens. “Arab Movie” brings us the stars and the songs, the convoluted plots, and that fleeting moment when we shared the same cultural heroes as everyone else in the Middle East. But this film about the richness and intensity of Egyptian cinema also raises some disturbing questions.
A traveler between two countries metaphorically named "Easternstan" and "Westernstan" loses his passport and identity papers. Stuck between the two countries he can neither cross the frontiers nor get back to where he came from. He's forced to camp in the neutral area between the two countries, facing a lot of funny situations while there. The movie satirizes the ideology of Arab unity and cooperation at the state level.
THE PERFUMED GARDEN is an exploration of the myths and realities of sensuality and sexuality in Arab society, a world of taboos and of erotic literature. Through interviews with men and women of all ages, classes, and sexual orientation, the film lifts a corner of the veil that usually shrouds discussion of this subject in the Arab world. Made by an Algerian-French woman director, the film begins by looking at the record of a more permissive history, and ends with the experiences of contemporary lovers from mixed backgrounds. It examines the personal issues raised by the desire for pleasure, amidst societal pressures for chastity and virginity. The film discusses pre-marital sex, courtship and marriage, familial pressures, private vs. public spaces, social taboos (and the desire to break them), and issues of language.
The first-ever Moroccan feature film tells the story of a boy who becomes a delinquent due to his parents' negligence.
Nine centuries ago, Ibn Arabi started his last trip to Damasco. Now, a man is thrown to the sand by the sea.
Syria, 1967, rumors of war. Abu Kamel, a peasant who farms tomatoes near Latakia, bullies his family. One by one, each rebels against him or finds a route to break away.