Compilations Afghanistan Algeria/Morocco Egypt Iran/Iraq Israel/Palestine Lebanon Syria Tunisia Turkey Bibliography of books about Middle Eastern cinema in the UC Berkeley library Movies by Director videography Middle Eastern Studies videography Arab Media: Cinema Arab Film Distribution Compilations/Miscellaneous The Message (Pakistan / Kuwait / Morocco / Libya / UK / Lebanon, 1976) Directed by Richard Eyre. Cast: Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, Michael Ansara, Johnny Sekka, Michael Forest. Tells the dramatic story of Mohammed, the prophet who founded Islam. The film starts with Muhammed receiving the Koran from the angel Gabriel and ends at his death. Disc 1. English language -- Disc 2. Arabic language. 91 min. DVD 9147 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Resistance[s]: Experimental Films from the Middle East and North Africa Dansons / Zoulikha Bouabdellah (Algeria/France, 2003, 5 min.) -- Transit / Taysir Batniji (Palestine/France, 2004, 8 min.) -- Dieu me pardonne / Mounir Fatmi (Morocco/France, 2001-2004, 8 min.) -- Wet tiles / Lamya Gargash (UAE, 2003, 8 min.) -- Allahu Akbar / Usama Alshaibi (Iraq/USA, 2003, 5 min.) -- Untitled part 3b (as if) beauty never ends / Jayce Salloum (Lebanon/Canada, 2003, 11 min.) -- K3 (Les femmes) / Frederique Devaux (Algeria/France, 2003, 4 min.) -- Ca sera beau : From Beyrouth with love / Wael Noureddine (Lebanon/France, 2005, 30 min.) DVD authors, Marc Horchler, Thomas Lambert ; text, Silke Schmicki, Christine Sehnaoui. Includes eight, short, experimental films and videos from Middle Eastern and North African artists and interviews with those filmmakers. Using images to lead the narrative, each artist, no matter their style or medium succeeds in raising fundamental questions relating to humanity, politics and aesthetics. Double-sided DVD; PAL format on one side, NTSC format on the other side. In English, French and Arabic with optional subtitles in French, English, Arabic, and German. 107 min. DVD 6777 Afghanistan In this World (UK, 2002) Directed by Michael Winterbottom. Cast: Cast: Jamal Udin Torabi, Enayatullah. Tells of the hazardous journey of two Afghan boys as they travel from Pakistan through Iran, Turkey, Italy, France and the UK in search of refuge in London, revealing the desperate measures people take to escape persecution and life-threatening conditions. Special features: Behind-the-scenes footage with commentary from Michael Winterbottom and Tony Grisoni; director's introduction from the Sundance Film Series; U.S. and UK theatrical trailers; production notes and biographies; highlights from the 2003 Sundance Film Series. 88 min. DVD 2410 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Osama (2003) Directed by Siddiq Barmak. Cast: Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar. Based on true events, chronicles the story of a 12-year-old girl in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan who must disguise herself as a boy to save her family from starvation. The first feature film made in Afghanistan in the post-Taliban era. 83 min. DVD 2565 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Kandahar: Journey into the Heart of Afghanistan (Safar e Ghandehar) (Iran, 2001) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. See Iran Algeria/Morocco Ali Zaoua, Prince de la Rue (Morocco, 2000) Directed by Nabil Ayouch. Ali, Kwita, Omar, and Boubker are a group of street urchins living in the hard streets of Casablanca. In order to survive they create a bond of friendship and family between them. The bond is cut short when Ali is senselessly killed; his life taken by a single act of a rival gang. Ali's friends decide not to report his death to the police, who would have the boy buried in a potter's field. Instead they decide to give him a worthy burial, to bury Ali on the private island he so often dreamed of. Ali Zaoua captures the power of dreams and presence of hope in the harshest of circumstances. In Arabic and French with English subtitles. 99 min. DVD 1905 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Bab el-Oued City (1994) Directed by Merzak Allouache. Cast: Nadia Kaci, Mohamed Ourdache, Hassan Abdou, Mabrouk Ait Amara, Messaoud Hattou, Mourad Khen, Djamila, Simone Vignore, Michel Such. In Bab el-Oued, a working class district of Algiers, a young worker commits an act which puts the entire district in turmoil. 95 min. DVD 3731 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Ditmars, Hadani. "Torn Apart." Sight and Sound, vol. 5, no. 9, pp. 34-36, September 1995 Green, Mary Jean. "Echoes of the Casbah: From Pépé le Moko to Bab el-Oued City." Nottingham French Studies, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 68-83, Spring 2007 Khalil, Andrea Flores. "Interview with Merzak Allouache." The Journal of North African Studies, 10:2, 143 — 156, 2005 UC users only Khalil, Andrea Flores. "The Myth of Masculinity in the Films of Merzak Allouache." The Journal of North African Studies, 12:3, 329 — 345, 2007 UC users only McMurray, David. "Bab el-Oued City." Visual Anthropology, 1998, Vol. 10 Issue 2/4, p443-446, 4p David, Prochaska. "That was then, this is now: The Battle of Algiers and after." Radical History Review 85 (Wntr 2003): p133-149. Tcheuyap, Alexie. "Entre intertextualité et réécriture: Bab el-Oued et Bab el-Oued City de Merzak Allouache." Présence Francophone: Revue Internationale de Langue et de Littérature, vol. 65, pp. 49-67, 2005 The Battle of Algiers (La bataille d'Alger) (Algeria / Italy, 1965) Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. A documentary-style re-enactment of 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 cafes. The French win the battle, but ultimately lose the war as the Algerian people demonstrate that they will no longer be suppressed. Special features: Disc 1: Theatrical and re-release trailers; production gallery. Disc 2: "Gillo Pontecorvo: the dictatorship of truth," a 37 min. documentary made in 1992 about Pontecorvo; The making of The battle of Algiers (51 min.); Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Julian Schnabel, Steven Soderbergh, and Oliver Stone discuss the film (17 min.). Disc 3: "Remembering history," a 69 min. documentary about the Algerian Revolution; "Etats d'armes," 28 min. of excerpts from Patrick Rotman's 3-part documentary, L'Ennemi Intime, which focuses on the horror of the Revolution; "The battle of Algiers, a case study" a 25 min. conversation about the contemporary relevance of The battle of Algiers between former National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism Richard A. Clarke, former State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Michael A. Sheehan, and Chief of Investigative Projects for ABC News, Christopher E. Isham; "Gillo Pontecorvo's Return to Algiers" (1992) (58 min.). 117 min. DVD 3050; VHS 999:111 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Chronicle of the Smoldering Years (Chronique des années de braise; Ahdat sanawovach el-djamr) (1975) Directed by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina. Epic look at Algeria's struggle for independence from France. Achmed and his family are forced to leave their rural home and he is drafted into an Algerian unit fighting in the Second World War. He returns to Algeria after the war only to find that the colonial grip has grown even tighter, and following an edict forbidding public meetings, he joins the growing revolt. When the battles begin, he is killed but his desire for liberty has been passed on to his son, who continues the struggle. 178 min. 999:2717 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Door on the Sky (Bab al-Sama Maftuh) (1989) Directed by Farida Ben Lyziad. A young woman struggling between her Moroccan heritage and adopted French culture, returns from Paris to Fez to visit her dying father. At his funeral, she is overcome by the voice of Karina chanting the Koran. A powerful friendship develops between the two women as they decide to turn the father's palace into a shelter for Muslim women. 107 min. 999:2716 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Le Gone du Chaaba (1997) Director, Christophe Ruggia. Cast: Bouzid Negnoug, Mohamed Fellag, Nabil Ghalem. Set in 1956 France in a city slum outside of Lyons, a poor Algerian father wants his son to be the best in school, although the boy is not very gifted. 105 min. DVD 1265 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Le Grand Voyage (Morocco, France, 2004) Director, Ismaël Ferroukhi. Cast: Nicolas Cazale, Mohamed Majd, Jacky Nercessian. A few weeks before his college entrance exams, Reda, a young man who lives in the south of France, finds himself obligated to drive his father to Mecca. The wide cultural and generational gap between the two is worsened by their lack of communication. Reda finds it hard to accommodate his father, who demands respect for himself and his pilgrimage. From France, through Italy, Serbia, Turkey, Syria, Jordan to Saudi Arabia, the two embark on a road trip that will change their lives. 108 min. DVD 6328 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Inch'Allah Dimanche (Algeria, France, 2001) Director, Yamina Benguigui. Film about the "family reunion," the French government's euphemism for a 1974 law allowing Algerian wives to rejoin their husbands working in France. Strong-willed Zouina parts tearfully from her mother in the port of Algiers; once in France, she and her three small children are at the mercy of her mother-in-law and confused by the strange customs of their local grocer and garden-obsessed neighbor. The radio is her only window on life and on the women of this new country. 98 min. DVD 1907 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Alion, Yves. "Inch'Allah Dimanche: Entretien avec Yamina Benguigui." Avant Scène Cinéma, vol. 506, pp. 136-38, November 2001 Fenner, Angelica. "Aural Topographies of Migration in Yamina Benguigui's Inch'Allah dimanche." Camera Obscura: A Journal of Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies, vol. 22, no. 66[3], pp. 93-127, 2007 Humblot, Catherine Documentaires et reportages: "Mémoires d'immigrés, l'héritage maghrébin" CinémAction 87 (April-June 1998) Rachida (Algeria / France, 2002) Director, Yamina Bachir. Cast: Ibtissem Djouadi, Bahia Rachedi, Rachida Messadouen, Zaki Boulenafed, Amel Chouikh, Abdelkader Belmokadem. 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. 100 min. DVD 8058 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Raja (France/Morocco, 2003) Director-writer, Jacques Doillon. Cast: Pascal Greggory, Najat Benssallem, Ilham Abdelwahed, Hassan Khissal. Set in comtemporary Marrakech, Raja explores the relationship between a wealthy middle aged Frenchman and a nineteen year old orphaned Moroccan girl. Disparities in race, economic status and language complicate the older man's pursuit of the younger girl. 110 min. DVD 5343 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Viva Laldjérie (Viva Algeria) (France/Algeria, 2004) Director, Nadir Moknèche. Cast: Lubna Azabal, Biyouna, Nadia Kaci, Jalil Naciri, Abbes Zahmani, Florence Giorgetti, Loun`es Tazairt, Akim Isker. Three Algerian women: a mother, her daughter, and a prostitute have been living in a hotel in the center of town amid creeping fundamentalism. Goucem, the daughter, has chosen a modern, emancipated life, spending steamy weekends in nightclubs. Fifi, her faithful friend, prostitutes herself under the thumb of a local protector. Papicha, the mother, eats pizzas in front of the television, torn between fear and nostalgia. 113 min. DVD 5350 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Vivre au Paradis (Living in Paradise) (France/Algeria, 1998) Director, Bourlem Guerdjou. Set in France in 1961-1962 during the Algerian War, this drama presents a vivid account of the exploitation and political repression of an Algerian immigrant worker living in Paris in the squalid and miserable conditions of the shantytowns. He longs to see his family and brings them from Algeria to live with him in his makeshift hut -- with disastrous results. 105 min. 999:3527 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Egypt Alexandria Again and Forever (Iskanderiya kaman wa kaman) (1989) Director, Youssef Chahine. Yehia joins a hunger protest which has brought together the entire Eqyptian filmmaking industry. As the strikers increase their demands, Yehia becomes increasingly attracted to Amir, a young actor whose film career he launched. Soon, however, Yehia's obsession is replaced by his infatuation with Nadia, the lovely ingenue he has decided to cast in his next film. 105 min. DVD 935 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Youssef Chahine bibliography Alexandria - Why? (Iskandariyah lih?) (1978) An autobiographical film based on director Youssef Chahine's life beginning in 1942 during Hitler's struggle to wrest Egypt, especially the city Alexandria, from the British Army. Yehia, an aspiring actor, and his friends experience the impact of war. Yehia studies cinema in Alexandria, stages his first makeshift productions, and finally reaches the conclusion that his future lies in America. 125 min. DVD 8277; vhs 999:2714 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Youssef Chahine bibliography Bahbuh Afandi (Bahbouh Effendi) (1958) Directed by Youssef Maalouf. A naive young man leaves his home village for Cairo in search of women and adventure. He meets Zahra in a night club and falls in love but they have to face the wicked schemes of the local gang. 78 min. DVD 4777 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Cairo Station (Bab al-Hadid) (1958) Directed by Youssef Chahine. A smoldering tale of life among the poor who live in Cairo's railroad station. "Reportedly (and understandably) Youssef Chahine's most popular film among Egyptians, this gritty and relatively early (1958) black-and-white masterpiece also features his most impressive acting turn, as a crippled news vendor working at the title railroad station. The adroit interweaving of various miniplots around the station is matched by a heady mix of moods and genres: at various junctures this movie becomes a musical, a slasher film, a neorealist drama, a comedy, and a horror film--come to think of it, it's pretty noir as well." [Jonathan Rosenbaum, The Chicago Reader] 74 min. 999:2834 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Youssef Chahine bibliography Chased by the Dogs (al-Liss wa-al-kilab) (1962) Directed by Kamal El Sheikh. This film inspired by the novelist Naguib Mahfouz, tells the story of Mahran, a thief who quickly ascends to be the head of his gang. However, his second in command conspires against Mahran to take his position and his wife. After his prison term, Mahran is thirsty for revenge. But being chased by the police and by his new enemies destines him to a tragic ending. 124 min. DVD 4361 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Dananir (Dananeer) (1955) Directed by Ahmed Badrakhan. Set during the time of the Arabian Nights around the singer Dananeer who has a divine voice who's taken from the simple Bedouin desert life to the decadence and intrigues of the palaces. The songs performed in this film are regarded by critics as one of the highlights in her singing career. DVD. 90 min. DVD 4778 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Days and Nights (Ayyam wa-layali) (1955) Directed by Henry Barakat. This timeless musical romance is about Abdel Halim who falls in love with the beautiful Iman but problems arise when he takes the blame for an accident his brother caused. Non-US format DVD. 110 min. DVD 3031 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Destiny (al-Massir) (France / Egypt, 1997) Directed by Youssef Chahine. In 12th century Andalousie, the great Islamic philosopher known throughout Europe as Averroes, first council to the calife, is recognized for his wisdom, tolerance and fairness. But he must confront powerful adversaries who use Islam in their quest for absolute conquest. 135 min. 999:3178 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Khouri, Malek. "Anxieties of fundamentalism and the dynamics of modernist resistance: Youssef Chahine's Al Maseer (The Destiny).(Critical essay)." CineAction 69 (Spring 2006): 12(12). UC users only Youssef Chahine bibliography Dreams of Hind and Camilia (Ahlam Hind wa Kamilah) (Egypt, 1989) Directed by al-Qalla Husayn. Two early middle-aged women struggle to survive between the harsh working conditions in Cairo slums and their abusive or worthless husbands and boyfriends. 120 min. 999:589 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Earth (Al-Ard) (1969) Director, Youssef Chahine. In a small village in Egypt peasants encounter problems in getting enough water to irrigate their fields and struggle against the local landowner, who decides to appropriate part of their land to build a road to his new estate. 130 min. 999:2835 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Youssef Chahine bibliography An Egyptian Story (al-Dhakira) (1982) Directed by Youssef Chahine. Yehia, now a famous Egyptian director, becomes ill with a heart condition that requires surgery. During the operation, a child embodying his conscience accuses him of betraying his ideals. A trial ensues, in which various witnesses testify about "the defendant." Yehia is forced to confront hidden feelings involving his life, work and country. The child conscience loses the trial, and a redundant organ is expelled from Yehia's body. Will he survive the ordeal? 127 min. DVD 921 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Youssef Chahine bibliography Fall of Baghdad (Laylat suqut Baghdad) (2005) Directed by Muhammad Amin? The story of an average Egyptian family living through devastating conditions as seen by a young woman. Meanwhile, her school teacher father, convinced the Americans are about to invade Egypt, appoints his prize student to develop a national super weapon. 105 min. DVD 8439 Generations struggle (Seraa al ahfad ) (1989) Directed by Abdel Latif Zaky. Cast: Nur al-Sharif, Nura, Salah al-Sadani, al-Sayyid Radi, Hasan Husni, Faridah Sayf al-Nasr. The story of grandsons who fight over the fortune of their deceased grandfather who has willed his entire fortune to the one who is most "successful." 122 min. DVD 8440 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Hassan and Naima (Hassan wa-Naima) (1959) Directed by Henry Barakat. Based on a traditional Egyptian folktale, a troubadour singer falls in love with the daughter of a rich farmer. They are torn between love and tradition. Non-US format DVD. 98 min. DVD 3025 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Honeymoon Without Disturbance (Chahr assal bidoun ezaag) (1968) Directed by Abdel Moneim Shoukry. Cast: Hasan Yusuf, Nahid Sharif, Muhammad Awad, Amin Hunaydi, Hasan Hamid. A young doctor marries a young girl despite her father's objections, but the father must then protect the doctor from his own arch rival, who has just been released from prison and is seeking revenge. 92 min. DVD 8437 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database I Am Free (Ana Hurrah) (1959) Directed by Salah Abouseif. This classic film is about an Egyptian girl who takes her destiny in her own hands in spite of the rigid and conservative society. A bold film with profound political and social insights. Non-US format DVD. 110 min. DVD 3024 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Inspector General (Al-Mufattish al-Amm) (1956) Director unknown. Based on a a hilarious comedy by the king of comedy Ismail Yassin. This rarely seen film is set around a case of mistaken identity. A town is terrorized by an exploitative mayor. The whole town is turned upside down when a stranger gets mistaken for a general inspector who comes to investigate the villager's complaints. Everyone tries to win him over. Non-US format DVD. 110 min. DVD 3026 Ismail Yassin for Sale (Ismail Yassine lal baie) (1959) Directed by Houssam El-Din Mustafa. Cast: Ismail Yasin, Fayruz, Thurya Hilmi, Suad Mikawi, Salah Nazmi, Said Abu Bakr. Ismail, a poor unemployed man, helps a suicidal girl and ends up being accused by her family of sleeping with her and there is no way out except to marry her. 104 min. DVD 8441 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Love and Revenge (Gharam wa-intiqam) (1944) Directed by Youssef Wahby. Cast: Asmahan, Yusif Wahbi, Anwar Wajdi, Bishara Wakim, Mahmud al-Miliji, Zuzu Madi. A woman (Asmahan) takes revenge on the man she thinks killed her husband, but falls in love with him in the process. During the shooting, the lead actress (Asmahan) died in a car accident, requiring the filmmakers to change the ending. Non-US format DVD. 115 min. DVD 3034 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database A Man In Our House (Fi baytina rajul) (1961) Directed by Henry Barakat.Set prior to the 1952 revolution, a member of an underground resistance group seeks refuge from the political police with a civil servant and his family. Non-US format DVD. 159 min. DVD 3035 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Melody of Loyalty (Lahn al-wafaa) (1955) Directed by Ibrahim Emara. Originally produced in 1955. A musical about an aspiring young singer and his uncle, who fall in love with the same chorus girl. 134 min. DVD 3023 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Le Moineau (Egypt/Algeria, 1973) Directed by Youssef Chahine. Set shortly before and during the Six Day War in June 1967, the film follows a young police officer stationed in a small village in Upper Egypt, whose inhabitants suffer from the harassment of a corrupt businessman. He crosses paths with a journalist who is investigating the theft of weapons and machinery by high officials and together they seek to uncover this circle of black marketeers. During the inquiries, however, war breaks out and Nasser announces his resignation. 100 min. 999:2872 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Youssef Chahine bibliography Nasser 56 (1996) A docudrama presentation including vintage newsreel footage of the events surrounding the 1956 nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. 140 min. Video/C 5593 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Gordon, Joel. "Film, Fame, And Public Memory: Egyptian Biopics From Mustafa Kamil To Nasser 56." International Journal of Middle East Studies 1999 31(1): 61-79. UC users only Princess Aziza (Al-Safirah Azizah) (1961) Directed by Tolba Radwan. Romantic comedy about a husband who has to get back his wife's inheritance from her vicious brother. Non-US format DVD. 94 min. DVD 3032 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Puppet Player (al-Aragouz) (1989) Directed by Hany Lasheen. Cast: Omar Sharif, Mirvat Amin, Hisham Salim, Abd al-Azim Adb al-Haqq. The story is of Mohamed, an itinerant puppeteer, "buffoon," and political gadfly, and his son Bahlool, who goes to university and later becomes a politician. Mohamed remarries; his second wife runs a carnival target-shoot, and they travel and share adventures. 125 min. 999:590 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Reckless Husbands (Azwaj taishun) (1976) Two husbands suffer the neglect of their wives and try to cope in their own way with a problem that is common in modern society. 98 min. DVD 4516 Remember Me (Udhkurini) (1978) This film, based on the novel by the Youssef El Sebaii (Bayn El Atlal), is the best cinematic adaptation of the timeless tale of a great love story about a romance that is passed on from one generation to the next. 100 min. DVD 4362 The Ruined Honeymoon (Shahr asal basal) (1960) Directed by Essa Karama. Cast: Ismail Yasin, Kariman, Mari Munib, Najwa Fuad. In this comic feature Ismail proposes marriage to his neighbor Samiyah, but her mother Sharbat opposes the marriage. After a while the mother approves and after their marriage Ismail and Samiyah move to Cairo. During their honeymoon, Ismail's mother-in-law visits them and and he tries to find any solution he can to get rid of her. Non-US format DVD. 94 min. DVD 3033 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Saladin (Al-Nasir Salah al-Din) (1963) Director, Youssef Chahine. In the 12th century, Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, unites the Arab nation, liberates Jerusalem from its European captors, and defeats the Crusaders. After his success Saladin pledges that Arab Jerusalem will remain open to all pilgrims, whatever their religion. The love interest in the subplot sees the union of a female Crusader and Saladin's Christian Arab lieutenant. 145 min. 999:3319 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Youssef Chahine bibliography Sleepless (La anam) (1957) Directed by Salah Abouseif. In this melodrama set in 1950s upper class Egypt, a spoiled rich girl becomes jealous after her father marries the perfect faithful woman. Feeling that God is punishing her for her misdeads, she is living a love story with a man twice her age. 121 min. DVD 4518 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Trouble maker (Ghawi mashakil) (1980) Directed by Ahmad Abd al-Wahhab. Cast: Adil Imam, Nura, Muhammad Rida, Isad Yunis, Faruq al-Fishawi. A runaway girl becomes involved with a man and his grandmother, who mistakes the girl for her own daughter-in-law. 106 min. DVD 8438 Wedad (Widad) (1962) Directed by Ahmed Badrakhan, Fritz Kramp, and Gamal Madkoor. A dramatic musical work about a love story between Widad the singer girl slave and her master Bahir during the Mamelukes era. The robbers stole his convoy and he lost his trade. The creditors hounded him for their debts so he sold Widad. Missing him, she suffered and sang only sad songs to her new master. After awhile Bahir recovered his trade and became rich so he bought Widad from her new master who readily agreed because of her permenant sadly appearence. 99 min. DVD 4517 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Wife Number 13 (al-Zawjah 13; Al zouga talattashar) (1961) Directed by Fatin Abdel Wahab. Cast: Shadiyah, Rushdi Abazah, Hasan Fayiq, Abdel Moneim Ibrahim, Zaynab Sidqi, Shuwaykar, Widad Hamdi. This Arabian nights story of the 13th wife is updated to modern times. Murad Salim plays a rich playboy who pursues Aida, who, after resisting, marries him not knowing that she is his 13th wife. When the previously would-be 13th wife arrives, they hatch a plot with the other wives to make him pay. Based on one of the Arabian nights stories. 115 min. DVD 4360 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Iran and Iraq Survey Catalogue and Brief Critical History of Iranian Film (1896-1975)(via University of Washington) The Actor (Honarpisheh) (Iran, 1993) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. A wild comedy of marital discord in which a popular film actor, who longs to be a serious actor, has become wealthy making mindless commercially liked comedies. Meanwhile, his wife has become obsessed with her inability to have a child and insists that Akbar take a second wife, a mute waif of a gypsy girl who will disappear after being well paid for providing them with an infant. 88 min. 999:29 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography The Apple (Sib) (Iran, 1997) Director, Samira Makhmalbaf. An amazing true story directed by the daughter of the Iranian producer/director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. In a poor area of Tehran, some people inform the local welfare authorities that one of their neighbors is keeping his twin 11-year-old girls, Zahra and Masume locked up in his house and they have been living virtually as prisoners of their poor father and blind mother. 84 min. 999:3079 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Cardullo, Robert James. "The Apple." The Hudson Review 52.4 (Wntr 2000): 649(8). Danks, Adrian. "The House that Mohsen Built: The Films of Samira Makhmalbaf and Marzieh Meshinki." Senses of Cinema, vol. 22, pp. (no pagination), September 2002 Johnson, W. "The apple." Film Quarterly v. 53 no. 2 (Winter 1999/2000) p. 47-9 Matthews, Irene. "The Apple. (Film Review)." International Journal of Humanities and Peace 17.1 (Annual 2001): 102(2). UC users only Moore, Lindsey. "Women in a Widening Frame: (Cross-)Cultural Projection, Spectatorship, and Iranian Cinema." Camera Obscura no. 59 (2005) p. 1-33 At Five in the Afternoon (Panj e asr) (Iran, 2003) Directed by Samira Makhmalbaf. Cast: Agheleh Rezaie, Abdolgani Yousefrazi, Razi Mohebi, Marzieh Amiri. Set in the ruined city of Kabul after the fall of the Taliban regime, tells the story of Noqreh, a young woman eager to take advantage of the new freedoms afforded to women. Despite her father's wishes that she receive only a traditional religious education, Noqreh also attends a secular school for girls, where she is encouraged to high aspirations. But the harsh reality of survival in a country devastated by war threaten her dreams and aspirations. Non-US format DVD (PAL region 2). 102 min. DVD 3676 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Cardullo, Bert. "An Afghan is a woman." The Hudson Review 58.2 (Summer 2005): 302-310. Danks, Adrian. "The House that Mohsen Built: The Films of Samira Makhmalbaf and Marzieh Meshinki." Senses of Cinema, vol. 22, pp. (no pagination), September 2002 McGill, Hannah; Kemp, Philip. "Iranian House Style." Sight & Sound v. ns14 no. 4 (April 2004) p. 32-4, 43 Baran (Iran, 2001) Director, Majid Majidi. A moving and humorous love story of illegal Afghan immigrants living and working at a construction site in Tehran, Iran. When one of the workers is injured,his daughter, posing as a man, becomes the breadwinner. But a hot-headed 17 year-old local youth also working at the site discovers the secret. 96 min. DVD 2059 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Cardullo, Bert. "An Afghan is a woman." The Hudson Review 58.2 (Summer 2005): 302-310. Bashu: The Little Stranger (Iran, 1990) Directed by Bahram Beizai. One of an increasing number of Iranian films arriving in the United States in the wake of the Ayatolla Khomeini's death, this deceptively simple tale of a young boy orphaned by the Iran-Iraq War was made under government sponsorship but banned, presumably for its pacifist sentiments. Bashu offers eloquent universal messages about racial tolerance and the strength of the family. 115 min. 999:3075 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Blackboards (Takhte siah) (Iran, 2000) Directed by Samira Makhmalbaf. Follows a group of teachers who, after a bombing in Iranian Kurdistan, wander from one city to the next in search of students they can teach. Along the way they encounter many people of various ages and walks of life in an against-all-odds effort to help and share knowledge with anyone who is willing to learn. 85 min. DVD 3386; vhs 999:3296 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Combr, R. "Blackboards." Film Comment v. 38 no. 5 (September/October 2002) p. 74, 76 Danks, Adrian. "The House that Mohsen Built: The Films of Samira Makhmalbaf and Marzieh Meshinki." Senses of Cinema, vol. 22, pp. (no pagination), September 2002 Mulvey, Laura. "Gimme shelter." Sight and Sound 11.1 (Jan 2001): 26(3) Romney, Jonathan. "Blackboards." Sight and Sound 11.1 (Jan 2001): 41(2). Boycott (Baycot) (Iran, 1985) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Set in the period just prior to the Islamic Revolution the story is inspired by the filmmakers's own painful experiences. Valeh, a member of a leftist organization, is arrested and sentenced to death. In prison, he reconsiders his beliefs and comes to doubt the validity of the ideas for which he is condemned. At the same time, his prison comrades are pressuring him to make a sacrifice for their cause. 85 min. 999:2967 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography Ceasefire (Atash bas) (Iran, 2006) Director, Tahmineh Milani. Cast: Mohammad Reza Golzar, Mahnaz Afshar, Atila Pesyani, Keikavous Yakideh, Nilufar Khosh Kholgh. An Iranian romantic comedy concerning a newlywed couple who hit a rough patch early on as they attempt to learn how to communicate with each other. Soon the wife goes to a psychiatrist in order to help counsel her through the problems. 105 min. DVD 973 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Circle (Il Cerchio) (Iran, 2000) Director, Jafar Panahi. This drama offers insights into the lives of women in Iran. As the narrative dynamically shifts from woman to woman, their stories culminate with tremendous potency, transforming a shared sense of despair and injustice into one of kinship and even hope. 87 min. DVD 973 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Johnson, William. "The Circle." Film Quarterly Spring 2001, Vol. 54, No. 3, Pages 53-56 UC users only Children of Heaven (Bacheha-Ye aseman) (Iran, 1997) Director, Majid Majidi. A young boy, Ali, loses his sister Zahra's school shoes. In order to stay out of trouble, the two come up with a plan to share Ali's shoes, but they must keep it a secret from their parents. 88 min. DVD 2061 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Close-Up (Nema-ye Nazdik) (Iran, 1990) Directed by Abbas Kiarostami. At the heart of this true story is Hossein Sabzian, an unemployed movie buff who finds himself mistaken for the enigmatic Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. The misunderstanding takes on a life of its own and Sabzian ends up in jail where his trial is documented by the screenwriter/director Abbas Kiarostami. 94 min. DVD 3387; vhs 999:3082 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Abbas Kiarostami bibliography The Color of Paradise (Rang-e khoda) (Iran, 1999) Director, Majid Majidi. Mohammad joyfully returns to his tiny village on summer vacation from the Institute for the Blind in Tehran, unaware of his father's intentions to disown him. Engaged to be married, the widowed man has keptMohammad a secret from his fiancee, certain the boy'sdisability will destroy his only chance for happiness. With the wedding swiftly approaching Mohammad's future hangs precariously in the balance as his fatherstruggles against his destiny, unable to see the wonder of life and love that's so clear to his son. 90 min. DVD 2060 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Cow (Gav) (Iran, 1986) Directed by Dariush Mehrjui. Hassan, living in a small village in Iran, is the only one lucky enough to own a cow. He spoils the cow like a child and lives in perpetual fear that the inhabitants of a neighboring and hostile village will steal it. One day, when Hassan is out at work the cow dies. The villagers bury it and tell Hassan it wandered off. Hassan can't believe his bad fortune and so, in his sorrow, he takes the place of his cow. 100 min. 999:3084 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Crimson Gold (Talaye sorkh) (Iran, 2003) Director Jafar Panahi; written by Abbas Kiarostami. This is a story of Hussein, a humble pizza deliveryman who feels continually humiliated by the injustices he sees all around him. When his friend Ali finds a receipt for a stranger's necklace purchase, Hussein is stunned by its exceptionally high cost. He knows that his pitiful salary will never be enough to afford such a luxury. Soon after, he and Ali are refused entry to an uptown jewelry store because of their scruffy appearances; his rage over this slight sets off a series of events. But, Hussein will taste the luxurious life for one night before his deep feelings of humiliation push him over the edge. 97 min. DVD 3487 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Cyclist (Bicycleran) (Iran, 1989) Writer, director, and editor, Muhsin Makhmalbaf. Nazim, formerly a cyclist, but now a lowly Afghan guest worker in Iran, must overcome many obstacles in his attempt to ride a bicycle continuously for seven days and nights, in order to obtain money to pay for medical care for his desperately ill wife. "Made between The Peddler and Marriage of the Blessed, this 1989 Iranian feature by the highly talented Mohsen Makhmalbaf, a filmmaker comparable in some ways to Martin Scorsese, follows the exploitation of an Afghan refugee who embarks on a bicycle marathon in order to raise money for his wife's medical expenses. A searing expressionist work about man's inhumanity, filmed in a hypnotic and feverish style. With Moharram Zaynalzadeh and Esmail Soltanian." [Jonathan Rosenbaum, The Chicago Reader] 75 min. DVD 3385; vhs 999:1716 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography Daughters of the Sun (Dokhtaran khorshid) (Iran, 2000) Director Maryam Shahriar. Amanagol, the daughter of a poor rural family in Iran, becomes Aman when her father shaves her head, disguises her as a boy, and dispatches her to another village to work weaving carpets. Her secret is jeopardized when a co-worker falls in love with her. 92 min. DVD 3330 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Day Break (Dam e sobh) (2006) Directed by Hamid Rahmanian. Cast: Hossein Yari, Zabi Afshar, Hoda Nasseh, Atash Taghipour, Maryan Amirjallali. In Iran, capital punishment is carried out according to Islamic law, which gives the family of the victim ownership of the offender's life. Day Break, based on a compilation of true stories and shot inside Tehran's century-old prison, revolves around the imminent execution of Mansour, a man found guilty of murder. When the family of the victim repeatedly fails to show up on the appointed day, Mansour's execution is postponed again and again. Stuck inside the purgatory of his own mind, he waits as time passes on without him, caught between life and death, retribution and forgiveness. 85 min. DVD 6318 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Day I Became a Woman (Roozi keh zan shodam) (Iran, 2000) Director, Marziyeh Meshkini; script, Mohsen Makhmalbaf. A drama revolving around three portraits of women at three stages of life in Iran: A nine-year-old girl told she can no longer play with boys because she is now a "woman", a young woman who enters a bicycle race against her husband's wishes, and an old woman who gains money and the freedom to do what she wishes with it. 78 min. DVD 4688 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Five: 5 Long Takes Dedicated to Yasujiro Ozu /(Iran / Japan / France, 2003) Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami pays homage to Yasujiro Ozu, the brilliant Japanese filmmaker whose spare but evocative style has been a major influence on Kiarostami's work. Canny and sublime, the film is comprised of five long, apparently single takes of a beach on the Caspian Sea, all focusing on the ocean, comprised of virtually no camera movement and enveloped in rapturous natural sound. Richly poetic and shot on a hand-held DV camera, the film features five extended, apparently single-take sequences. One: The camera accompanies a piece of wood with which the waves are toying at the beach. Two: People are walking along by the seaside. Older people stop, look at the waves, then walk away. Three: Indistinct shapes on a beach in winter. A group of dogs. A love story. Four: Ducks noisily cross the frame in one direction, then the other. Five: A pond; nighttime; frogs; a chorus of sounds, then a storm, and finally dawn. Special features: 2 films: Around five: Abbas Kiarostami's reflections on film and The making of Five. In Iranian with English subtitles. 74 min. DVD 8221 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Gabbeh (Iran, 1996) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. A folkloric carpet (Gabbeh), picturing a man and a woman riding away on horseback, is the prized possession of an elderly nomadic couple. When they wash it a beautiful young woman emerges from the carpet to reveal its mystical secrets. With its dream-like twists this tone poem is notable for its exquisite interludes on the colors of nature with landscapes and vistas of breathtaking beauty. 75 min. DVD 9150; vhs 999:3064 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography Hamoun: The Desert (Iran, 1991) Director, Dariush Mehrjui. The story of Hamid Hamoun, an executive in a large import-export business, who also works as a part-time English instructor. He feels alienated from Iranian society, bound by its conventions yet unwilling to abide by its rigid laws. His wife wants to divorce him but is unable to do so under Islamic law. In this film, husband and wife struggle to find their own solid ground. 107 min. 999:3278 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Hidden Half (Nimeh-ye penhan) (Iran, 2001) Director, Tahmineh Milani. Khosro is sent from the president's office on a fact-finding mission to Shiraz, to investigate the complaints of a female political prisoner awaiting execution. Khosro's wife Fereshteh, being of the same generation as the prisoner, decides to do something about her situation. Fereshteh writes of her own participation in the revolution of 1980, of which her husband is unaware. In his hotel room in Shiraz, Khosro begins to read his wife's memoirs the night before he is to visit the prisoner. 108 min. DVD 1846; vhs 999:3293 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The House is Black (Khanah siyah ast)(Documentary, Iran) Directed by Forough Farrokhzad. This film about the leprosy colony in Tabriz, Iran is a compassionate portrait of forgotten people. Straightforward yet sympathetic, the film affords dignity to its subjects, particularly through Farrokhzad's striking poem read by the poet herself. The House Is Black has heavily influenced the modern Iranian cinema of such great filmmakers as Abbas Kiarostami and Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who called it "the best Iranian film." It provides, in the film's own words, "a vision of pain no caring human being should ignore." 1962. 22 min. DVD 3529 Images from the Qajar Dynasty (Iran, 2001) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Cast: Niloufar Pazira, Hassan Tantai, Sadou Teymouri, Hoyatala Hakimi. Inspired by the true story of Nafas, an Afghan-born Canadian journalist who returns to her homeland in a desperate attempt to reach her sister who, overcome with grief after being injured by a landmine and despairing over the Taliban's oppression of women, has vowed that she will commit suicide. Clothed in the traditional burka, Nafas enters Afghanistan where she encounters bandits, corpse-robbers, marooned exiles, overwhelmed Red Cross workers, and hordes of land-mine victims. 85 min. DVD 1616 (also on DVD 3529) Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography Images from the Qajar Dynasty (Documentary. Iran, 1992) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. A short documentary made while the filmmaker was preparing his acclaimed feature Once upon a Time, Cinema. The Qajar (aka Ghajar) family ruled Iran from 1785-1925. The film shows rare photos and early films shot at the Shah's court, along with family portraits. 18 min. (With "School Blown Away by the Wind.") 999:2968 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography Iran, a Cinematographic Revolution (Iran, une revolution cinematographique) Traces the development of the Iranian film industry, which has always been closely intertwined with the country's tumultuous political history, chronicling how Iranian films reflected contemporaneous society and often presaged social change. It shows how mainstream commercial cinema served as a propaganda tool for both the monarchy and the fundamentalist religious regime, recounts the sporadic efforts of some filmmakers to reveal grimmer social realties, and the struggles against censorship and traditional cinematic formulas by such pioneers as Bahram Beyzai and Sohrab Shahid Saless and pre- and post-Islamic revolutionary 'new wave' filmmakers. A film by Nader T. Homayoun. 2006. 98 min. DVD 7189 Jiyan (Iraq/USA, 2002) Directed by Jano Rosebiani. Cast: Kurdo Galali, Enwer Shexani, Coman Hawrami, Derya Qadir, Ehmed Salar, Nasir Hesen, Pisheng Berzinci. Five years following the infamous chemical and biological bombing of Halabja, Diyari, a Kurdish/ American good Samaritan, returns to his homeland to build an orphanage in what is left of Halabja. He meets Jiyan, a ten-year old orphan and survivor of the chemical attack doomed to live with a burn scar covering most of her right cheek. A strong bond between the two ensues and later he names his orphanage after her. 93 min. DVD 6610 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Kandahar: Journey into the Heart of Afghanistan (Safar e Ghandehar) (Iran, 2001) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Cast: Niloufar Pazira, Hassan Tantai, Sadou Teymouri, Hoyatala Hakimi. Inspired by the true story of Nafas, an Afghan-born Canadian journalist who returns to her homeland in a desperate attempt to reach her sister who, overcome with grief after being injured by a landmine and despairing over the Taliban's oppression of women, has vowed that she will commit suicide. Clothed in the traditional burka, Nafas enters Afghanistan where she encounters bandits, corpse-robbers, marooned exiles, overwhelmed Red Cross workers, and hordes of land-mine victims. 85 min. DVD 1616 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Key (Kelid) (Iran, 1986) Director, Ebrahim Forouzesh. Humor, pathos and suspense inform this story of a four-year-old, Amir Mohammad, and an infant left home alone while their mother runs out to do some shopping. A worried neighbor tries to enter the apartment, but the door is locked from the outside. Amir cannot find the spare key and must cope on his own. Tension mounts as minor crisis piles on crisis as frantic neighbors yell advice to the resourceful youngster. In Farsi, with English subtitles. 76 min. 999:1715 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Last Supper (Shaam-e-akhar) (Iran, 2002) Director, Fereydoun Jeyrani. Cast: Katayoun Riahi, Mohammad Rezagolzar, Sorayya Ghasemi, Atila Pesiani, Haniye Tavassou. After 26 years of marriage, a professor of architecture divorces her husband, encouraged by her daughter. When a handsome young student enters the picture, the bonds between the mother and daughter are stretched beyond the breaking point. 96 min. DVD 3842 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Legend of Sigh (Afsane-ye-ah) (Iran, 1991) Director, Tahmineh Milani. According to Iranian legend, Ah is a handsome young man who materializes to succor those in need whenever he hears a heartfelt sigh. With the help of Ah, a woman novelist suffering from writer's block experiences the lives of four women from different social strata. Presents a fascinating portrait of a range of Iranian women and their problems. 96 min. 999:3297 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Leila (Iran, 1997) Directed by Dariush Mehrjoui. Cast: Leila Hatami, Ali Mosaffa, Jamileh Sheikhi, Amir Payvar, Mohammad Reza Sharifinia, Turan Mehrzad, Shaqayeq Farahani. Reza and Leila, an attractive and affluent young couple deeply in love and recently married, discover that Leila is unable to conceive. Although Reza steadfastly insists that it matters not in the least, his mother feels otherwise: she is determined that her son have children and continue the family line. Invoking traditions, she convinces her daughter-in-law that Reza must, out of necessity, take a second wife to produce an heir. A portrayal of the clash between tradition and modern marriage in Iran. 102 min. DVD 8994; vhs 999:2405 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Movie Review Query Engine Life and Nothing More (Zendegi va digar hich) (Iran, 1992) Directed by Abbas Kiarostami. An Iranian father and son travel to Quoker and meet earthquake survivors who desperately and valiantly work to reconstruct their lives. The film investigates the aftermath of a devastating 1990 earthquake which killed some 50,000 people in northern Iran. In Farsi with English subtitles. 91 min. 999:1714 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Movie Review Query Engine Abbas Kiarostami bibliography The Lodgers (Ijarihnishinha) (Iran, 1986) Directed by Dariush Mehrjui. In this social satire comedy from Iran the landlord of a new apartment building in a suburb of Tehran dies, leaving the ownership of the building up for grabs under Iran's "heir-uncertain" law. The apartment manager transfers the title of the building to his name and tries to evict the tenants, but they won't budge. The manager then refuses to make any repairs on the building. When the tenants take matters into their own hands, their world literally comes crashing down on them. 115 min. 999:3076 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Marmulak Lizard (Iran, 2002) Directed by Kamal Tabrizi. Cast: Rena Azadvar, Mehran Najafi, Shahrokh Forutanian, Parviz Parastouie. Tells the tale of a thief, who in his quest to escape from prison, discovers that the action of a man is important and not his garb, and even a thief can inspire people to do good for their fellow man. Banned in Iran for controversial content. 117 min. DVD 4788 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Marooned in Iraq (Avazhaye sarzamine madariyam; Gomgashtei dar Aragh) (Iran, 2002) Directed by Bahman Ghobadi. Cast: Shahab Ebrahimi, Allah-Morad Rashtian, Faegh Mohammadi, Iran Ghobadi. During the Iran-Iraq war, an aging Iranian-Kurd musician hears that his wife, a singer with a magical voice, who deserted him for his best friend and fled to Iraq, is in trouble. He cons his two sons into accompanying him on the search and they embark on an adventure filled with music, romance and danger. 97 min. DVD 3479 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Marriage of the Blessed (Arusi-ye Khuban) (Iran, 1989) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Haji, a shell-shocked veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, struggles to find meaning in his life when he returns to his job as a photojournalist. Disturbed by the contrast between the soldiers sacrificing their lives and the indifference of the local population of Tehran, he sinks into depression. Mehri, his fiancee, hopes to speed his recovery by hastening their wedding, but they find they must defy the hyprocrisy of their families and authorities as they strive to create a life together. 70 min. 999:2969 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography The May Lady (Banu-yi Urdibihisht) (Iran, 2002) Directed by Rakhshan Bani Etemad. Cast: Minoo Farshchi, Mani Kasraian, Golab Adineh, Atefeh Razavi, Nayereh Farahani. A successful Iranian documentary filmmaker lives with her teenage son. Her family life is beset with problems, which become more complicated when she meets a man. At the same time, she is making a film on exemplary mothers, she finds that finishing the film might provide answers for her personal life. 86 min. DVD 3480 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Men at Work (Kargaran mashghoole karand)) (Iran, 1996) Directed by Mani Haghighi. Cast: Atila Pesyani, Mahoud Kalari, Ahmad Hamed, Omid Rohani, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, Reza Kianian, Mahnaz Afshar. Men at work: A comedy about four old friends who, driving back from a failed ski trip, encounter a strange and enormous rock by the side of the road above a lake. The men's frivolous attempt to dislodge the rock gradually disintegrates into a tale of betrayal, defeat and renewed hope. 77 min. DVD 6508 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Mirror (Ayneh) (Iran, 1997) Directed by Jafar Panahi. Cast: Mina Mohamad-Khani, M. Shirzad, Kazem Mojdehi, T. Samadpour, N. Omoumi. When Mina's mother fails to pick her up after school in Tehran, the little girl sets off by herself and is thrust into a perilous adventure in an adult world. 97 min. DVD 7233 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Databasef Moment of Innocence (Noon Va Goldoon) (aka Time of Innocence; Bread and flower) (Iran, 1996) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Based on true events, film director Makhmalbaf at age 17 while a member of an anti-Shah militant group, attacked a policeman in an attempt to steal his gun. He stabbed the officer with a knife and took a bullet in return. The policeman went to the hospital; Makhmalbaf went to a torture chamber hosted by the dreaded SAVAK secret police. He stayed there until the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Twenty years later, the filmmaker placed an ad in the paper to recruit actors for Salaam Cinema. The same wounded officer responded to the ad giving both the assailant and victim a chance to tell their side of the story and in the process, exorcise the demons of their past. 75 min. 999:3083 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Nargess (Iran, 1992) Director, Rakhshad Bani-etemad. The tale of a tragic love triangle, notable for its exceptionally honest look at characters who live outside strict Islamic law. Afagh, is in danger of losing her rakish young lover, Adel. Then Adel meets Nargess, the angelic daughter of a poor family, and resolves to go straight after one last burglary. 100 min. 999:308 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Need (Niaz) (Iran, 1986) Director, Alireza Davudnezhad. Two poor boys compete for an apprenticeship in a printshop. The boy through whose eyes we experience the drama has lost his father in the war and has only the bleakest of prospects. Another boy has also been taken on, with the proviso that after a trial period the better of the two will get the job permanently. Thus begins a fierce rivalry that results in workplace sabotage, fighting and then, very suprisingly, friendship. In Farsi, with English subtitles. 81 min. 999:1717 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Offsides (Afsaid)(2006) Director, Jafar Panahi. Cast: Sima Mobarak Shahi, Safar Samandar, Shayesteh Irani, M. Kheyrabadi, Ida Sadeghi, Golnaz Farmani. During the 2006 Iran-Bahrain match, the Tehran soccer stadium roars with 100,000 cheering men and, officially, no women. According to Islamic custom, women are not permitted to watch or participate in men's sports. Many of the ambitious young female fans who manage to sneak into the arena are caught and sent to a holding pen, guarded by male soldiers their own age. Duty makes these young men and women adversaries, but duty can't overcome their shared dreams, their mutual attraction, and ultimately their overriding sense of national pride and humanity. 92 min. DVD 8777 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Once Upon a Time Cinema (Ruzi Ruzagari, Cinema) (Iran, 1992) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. A loving comedic homage to movies and moviemaking in Iran. It jumps around from the old silent days under the Shah to the current day, and makes fun of censorship rules. The leading character is known simply as "Cinematographer," and characters appear in multiple roles onscreen in re-created films from previous eras, as well as in the story itself. In some cases, the screen characters leave the movie they are in and interact with real-life people. This antic comedy also screens clips from well-know Iranian films of the past. 100 min. 999:2966 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography The Peddler (Dastforoush) (Iran, 1986) Director/writer, Muhsin Makhmalbaf. Three short tales set among the poor of contemporary Tehran describing a kindly but naive couple who want someone to adopt their baby, a mentally unstable man who lives with his invalid mother, and the last hours of a peddler suspected of betraying his friends. In Farsi, with English subtitles. First story adapted from The newborn by Alberto Moravia. 95 min. 999:1718 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography The Protest (Eteraz) (Iran, 2000) Directed by Massoud Kimiayi. When Amur learns that the woman who is to marry his younger brother Reza is having an affair with another man, he murders her to restore his family's good name. Considering the killing to be a matter of honor, Amur stoically goes to prison for 12 years where his fellow inmates regard him as a hero. But when he is released, he discovers that the Iran he knew has changed. Reza tells him that killing in the name of family pride has become regarded as barbaric. Rejected by his brother and all potential employers because of his prison record he tries to make his way working as a debt collector for a fellow ex-con. 102 min. 999:3169 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Runner (Iran, 1985) Directed by Amir Naderi. Iranian orphan Amiroo lives in an abandoned ship, earning a meagre living through casual jobs such as shoe-cleaning. But mainly, Amiroo is in a hurry. He runs. He races. And he tries to out-distance his illiteracy by ceaselessly learning all kinds of things. As he follows lessons at an evening school, he attains victory and self-respect in a race with his peers. 94 min. 999:3081 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database School Blown Away by the Wind (Iran, 1996) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. The school for nomad children seen in the film Gabbeh, is the subject of this heartwarming drama. An old man visits the classroom, and at first mistaken for an inspector, eventually is revealed as a former teacher of nomad children who has stopped by to refresh his memories of this happy time in his life. 8 min. (With "Images from the Qajar Dynasty.") DVD 3529; also on VHS 999:2968 Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography The Sealed Soil (Khake Sar Beh Morh) (Iran, 1977) Directed by Marva Nabili. Cast: Flora Shabaviz with the villagers of Ghalleh Noo-Asgar. Tells the story of a young woman in pre-revolution Iran caught between the traditional values of her small village and her own yearnings for independence and individuality. "Made surreptitiously in 1977 just as the Ayatollah Khomeini regime was coming to power, a rough cut of 'The Sealed Soil" was smuggled out of Iran by the director in a false-bottomed suitcase, and taken to the U.S., where she completed her final cut. Written and directed by the first woman to direct a film in Iran, the film has never been seen in Iran." 90 min. 999:3295 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Silence (Sukut. Sokout. Sokhout). (Iran, 1998) Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Follows the life of Khorshid, a blind 10-year-old boy who experiences the world through sound and lives with his mother in a small village in Tajikistan where he earns money tuning musical instruments. 75 min. 999:3676 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Mohsen Makhmalbaf bibliography The Smell of Camphor, the Fragrance of Jasmine (Booye kafoor, atre yas) (Iran, 2000) Directed by Bahman Farmanara. Cast: Bahman farmanara, Roya Nonahali, Reza Kianian, Valiyollah Shirandami. In this black comdey, Baham Farjami, a filmmaker who has not directed for 20 yeards due to censorship, experiences a strange set of coincidences that convince him that the Angel of Death is near. As a means of confronting his fears, he decides to make a film about his own funeral. 93 min. DVD 3841 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Stardust Stricken, Mohsen Makhmalbaf: A Portrait (Documentary, 1996) A documentary on the life of the controversial Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf. In this portrait, the filmmaker speaks about his life, childhood, political and cultural activities, his filmmaking style, and his beliefs about art, cinema, violence, religion and death. 70 min. Video/C 7973 The Suitors. (Iran, 1988) Writer, director: Ghasem Ebrahimian. "A well-to-do Iranian, Haji, arrives in Manhattan from Teheran with his new bride. Overcome by nostalgia for the old country, his friends hold a traditional feast, slaughtering a sheep in their apartment. Blood seeps through the floor into an apartment below. A bizarre series of events then unfolds as a SWAT team unleashed against the "terrorists" kills the bridegroom, leaving behind a beautiful, bewildered widow and four zealous suitors. Playing with the tensions of strangers in a strange land, Ghasem Ebrahimian's intriguing first feature is a witty, dark comedy." -- Container. In English and Farsi, with English subtitles. Duration on cassette label. In English and Farsi, with English subtitles. 104 min. 999:547 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Taste of Cherry (Tam e guilass) (Iran, 1997) Directed by Abbas Kiarostami. In this emotionally complex meditation on life and death, middle-aged Mr. Badii ceaselessly drives through the red-brown hills around Tehran in search of assistance in his suicide, but receives instead from each of the men he asks for help a viewpoint on life. 95 min. DVD 728; VHS 999:2979 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Ten (10) (Iran, 2002) Directed by Abbas Kiarostami. Featuring: Mania Akbari, Roya Arabshahi, Katayoun Taleizadeh, Mandana Sharbaf, Ameme Moradi, Amin Maher, Kamran Adl, Morteza Tabatabai, Bahman Kiarostami, Mastaneh Mohajer, Mazdak Sepanlu, Reza Yazdani, Vahid Ghazi. Presents a portrait of contemporary Iran, as seen through the eyes of one woman as she drives through the streets of Tehran over a period of several days. Her journey is comprised of ten conversations with various female passengers, and shed light on the lives of these women whose voices are seldom heard. 90 min. DVD 3419 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database A Time for Drunken Horses (Zamani baraye masti asbha) (Iran, 2000) Directed by Bahman Ghobadi. Cast: Ayoub Ahmadi, Rojin Younessi, Amaneh Ekhtiar-Dini, Madi Ekhtiar-Dini, Kolsolum Ekhtiar-Dini, Karim Ekhtiar-Dini, Rahman Salehi, Osman Karimi, Nezhad Ekhtiar-Dini. Just off the Iraqi border in the cold and stark mountains of Iranian Kurdistan, a boy is forced into the smuggling trade and his sister into a loveless marriage in order to raise money to get medical treatment for his older brother. Non-US format DVD. 75 min. DVD 3389 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Through the Olive Trees (Zire darakhatan zeyton) (Iran, 1994) Directed by Abbas Kiarostami. This movie, filmed using a documentary style, explores the relationship between a movie director and his actors while telling a tale of unrequited love. The film-within-a-film tells the story of a newly married couple in an area that has recently been devastated by an earthquake. In reality, the actor, playing the young husband, is trying to persuade the actress, playing his wife, to marry him even though his marriage proposal was rejected earlier. 103 min. 999:3080 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Abbas Kiarostami bibliography Travellers (Mosaferan) (1992) Directed by Bahram Beizaee. Cast: Jamileh Shaikhi, M. Shamsaie, H. Rousta. Story of a wedding ceremony which turns into a funeral wake when the bride's sister and her family are killed in a traffic accident. 90 min. 999:3746 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Twilight (Gagooman) (Iran, 2002) Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. Cast: Fatemeh Bijan, Zolikha Bijan, Ali-Reza Mahdaviyan, Ali-Reza Shalikaran. Based on a true story, Reza, who has spent half his life in prison is helped by the warden who arranges a marriage for him with Fatemeh, a female prisoner. The bride and groom, who can spend one night a week together, eventually have a child and are finally released. As Reza attempts to find work to support his family, he finds that his new obligations imprison him in another way. 83 min. DVD 4168 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Two Women (Iran, 1998) Director, Tahmineh Milani. Two women who have been close friends and classmates attending architectural school at Tehran University during the first years of the Islamic Republic, loose touch for various reasons including the cultural revolution. Fifteen years later they find each other and review all that has happened to them during those years. 96 min. DVD 1847; vhs 999:3294 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Under the Skin of the City (Zir-e poost-e shahr) (Iran, 2001) Director, Rakhshan Bani Etemad. Cast: Golab Adineh, Mohammad Reaz Forutan, Baran Kosari, Ebrahin Sheibani, Mohsen Ghazi Moradi, Mehraveh Sharifinia, Homeira Riazi, Ali Osivand, Mehrdad Falahatger. Tuba ia a factory worker and the matriarch of a raucous family. Her older daughter is pregnant and married to an abusive husband. The younger daughter is a high school student and is consumed with worry over a neighbor girl who suffers abuse at the hands of her father. Yuba's youngest son is caught up in political radicalism and is in danger of derailing his college aspirations. Her older son, Abbas wants to move to Japan to help support the family. After losing all his money in a scam, Abbas' desperation gets the better of his judgement and he becomes involved in a drug deal that nearly costs him his life. 90 min. 999:1713 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Where Is My Friend's House? (Khaneh-ye doust kojast?) (Iran, 1989) Director, Abbas Kiarostami. An Iranian schoolboy faces challenges and obstacles when he defies his parents to set out to find his friend's home in a neighboring village. In Farsi, with English subtitles. 90 min. 999:1713 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Abbas Kiarostami bibliography The White Balloon (Badkonake sefid) (Iran, 1995) Directed by Abbas Kiarostami. With the shops about to close for the New Year holiday in Tehran, Iran, 7 year old Razieh pleads with her mother to buy a big goldfish she has seen at the pet store. With the family's last bank note in hand, she gleefully sets out to buy her fish, but along the way meets up with snake charmers, a balloon salesman and a dry cleaner owner and loses her money. With the help of her brother she desperately tries to retrieve the money, buy the fish and get home before her parents find out what's happened. 85 min. 999:2985 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Wind Will Carry Us (Bad ma ra khahad bord) (Iran, 1999) Directed by Abbas Kiarostami. Cast: Behzad Dourani and inhabitants of the Siah Dareh Village. A filmmaker from Tehran travels to a remote mountain village secretly planning to record a local ritual ceremony surrounding an old dying woman. He befriends a local boy who ultimately becomes his informant on the fate of the old woman. As the rustling wind, golden light, and deep shadows of the village cast an alluring spell, the deathwatch drags on as the woman stubbornly clings to life, leaving the crew impatient. 114 min. DVD 1424 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Abbas Kiarostami bibliography Women's Prison (Zendan-e zanan) (Iran, 2002) Directed by Manijeh Hekmat. Cast: Roya Nonahali, Roya Taymourian, Pegah Ahangarani, Golab Adineh, Maryam Boobani. Famously 'banned' for more than a year by Iranian authorities, this taboo-breaking film is based on Manijeh Hekmat's long fieldwork, among women prisoners in Iran. She depicts the lives of Iran's lost generation in the two decades since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, using the claustrophobic life of women behind bars as a metaphor for the entire society. Her protagonist, Mitra, is in prison for killing her violent stepfather. On the eve of a prison riot she confronts Tahereh, the new warden, whose dogmatic views she challenges fearlessly. Over the course of the next 20 years, Tahereh's attitude toward her prisoners changes and oftens, which reflects the country's shifting political stance. Eventually Mitra, aged and exhausted, is finally released, but Tahereh left behind, is now more like a prisoner herself. 106 min. DVD 6866 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Simon, Alissa. "Manijeh Hekmat and Women's Prison." Senses of Cinema, vol. 23, pp. (no pagination), November 2002 "Women's Prison." (review) Journal of Middle East Women's Studies 2.1 (2006) 138-140 UC users only Zaman: l'Homme des Roseaux (Zaman: the Man from the Reeds) (Iraq, 2003) Directed by Amer Alwan. Cast: Sami Kaftan, Shatha Salem, Hussein Imad, Saadiya al Zaydi. 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. 76 min. DVD 4903 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Zinnat (Iran, 1994) Directed by Ebrahim Mokhtari. A riveting drama about the attempts of Zinat, who runs a health clinic in a remote part of southern Iran, to break free of the male dominated rules and regulations that govern life in rural Iran. 88 min. 999:3077 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Israel / Palestine Alila (Israel, 2003) Directed by Amos Gitai. Cast: Yael Abecassis, Uri Klauzner, Hanna Laslo, Ronit Elkabetz, Amos Lavie, Lupo Berkowitch, Liron Levo, Amit Mestechkin, Yosef Carmon, Lyn Hsiao Zamir. For the apartment dwellers, every action creates a ripple unknowingly felt by all. Gorgeous libertine Gabi's loud, violent trysts with her physically dominant, emotionally unavailable lover Hezi bring down the wrath of their disgusted neighbors. Mali reluctantly joins her neurotic ex-husband Ezra in his search for their army deserter son. Ezra's illegal construction site and undocumented immigrant workers in turn prompt the hermit Schwartz to relive the horrors of the Nazi death camps, as his Filipino campanion Linda helplessly looks on. 122 min. DVD 4731 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database As If Nothing Happened (Ke'Ilu klum lo kara) (Israel, 1999) Directed by Ayelet Bargur. Cast: Assaf Dayan, Rivka Neuman, Sivan Shavit. Lt. Ziv Gonan is returning to his Israeli army base from weekend leave. As he waits at the Beit Lid bus stop, a bomb explodes killing 18 people and wounding 62 others. Ziv's family hears of the bombing and agonizingly waits to hear what happened to him. 49 min. 999:3740 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Barbecue People (Ha-Mangalistim) (Israel, 2003) Directed by Yossi Madmony and David Ofek. Cast: Yigal Adika, Israel Bright, Machram Huri, Victor Ida, Dana Ivgy, Gili Saar. The story revolves around relationships in a Jewish family celebrating the 40th anniversary of the independence of Israel with a family barbecue in a local park. Shows the four leading character's estrangements and conflicts in the search of something fundamental for their lives. 98 min. DVD 4524 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database A Bit of Luck (Tipat mazal) (Israel, 1992) Directed by Ze'ev Revach. Tells the story of a blind father and his singer daughter immigrating together to Israel. 90 min. DVD 4526 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Campfire (Medurat Hashevet) (2005) Directed by Joseph Cedar. Cast: Michaela Eshet, Hani Furstenberg, Moshe Ivgy, Maya Maron. Campfire: A 42 year-old widowed mother of two teenage daughters wants to join the founding group of a new settlement in the West bank. This is about their struggles with the acceptance committee and their living as an outcast in the settlement. 96 min. DVD 6313 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Chronicle of a Disappearance (Israel, 1996) Directed by Elia Suleiman. Deceptively simple and executed with a documentary feel, this drama is a series of vignettes or tableaux, some "real life," some fantasy. It represents a highly personal journey home for ex-patriot Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman. The film is divided into two sections. The first presents the sleepy existence in the Arab part of Nazareth, while the second takes a more political view of the city with disturbing images of Arab people trapped in a cultural identity crisis, exemplified by a young Arab woman who wants more independence. 88 min. DVD 4297; vhs 999:3201 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Diary of a Male Whore (Israel, 2001) Directed by Tawfik Abu Wael. Esam, a young Arab war refugee who lives in Tel Aviv, makes his living as a male prostitute. His physical pleasure, that makes him forget his hunger, reminds him constantly of his childhood memories in his home village. The film " ... can be read as a metaphorical account of the Palestinian-Israeli 'dialogue' or so-called 'peace-process'." PAL format tape. min. 999:3645 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Hamsin (Israel,1982) Directed by Daniel Wachsman. Shows the eternal problem of Jewish-Arab relationship between Jewish landowner and his Arab worker. In Hebrew with English subtitles. 90 min. 999:546 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Hanna K. (Israel, 1983) Director, Costa-Gavras. Cast: Jill Clayburgh, Jean Yanne, Gabriel Byrne, Muhammad Bakri. Story of a Jewish-American woman attorney's tumultuous relationships with her sullen client, an accused Palestinian terrorist, her fiery lover and her new homeland of Israel. 111 min. 999:3065 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Hide and Seek (Machboim) (Israel, 1980) Directed by Dan Wolman. A study of adolescents in the crisis of self-discovery, the film explores the sensitive issue of forbidden love in the crucial years before the birth of the State of Israel. In Hebrew with English subtitles. 90 min. 999:185 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Hill 24 Doesn't Answer (Giv'a 24 Eina Ona) (Israel,1955) Directed by Thorold Dickinson. From the stories of Zvi Kolitz. Four young Zionists are assigned to defend strategic Hill 24 outside Jerusalem in order to maintain access to the besieged city during Israel's War of Independence. 101 min. 999:545 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Hitchikers (Trempistim) (Israel, 1998) Directed by Asher Tlalim. Cast: Gadi Yagil, Orly Perl, Amnon Fisher, Johny Arbid. On his way to Tel Aviv, Yehezkel picks up three hitchhikers--an Orthodox soldier, a free-spirited young woman, and an Israeli Arab. As the trip progresses, the complicated personal lives of each unfold. 47 min. 999:3730 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Holy Land (Israel, 2001) Directed by Eitan Gorlin. Set in Jerusalem, this is the story of Mendy, a young rabbinical student who is restless to learn about the bigger world. On the unconventional advice of his teacher, Mendy visits a brothel in order to exhaust his lust and restlessness, but instead falls in love with a Russian prostitute, Sasha. Mendy plummets further when he discovers Mike's Place, a bar on the edge of society run by an American expatriate, where Muslims, Christians and Jews all mingle to unseen ends. 101 min. DVD 2959 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Jerusalem Another Day (Rana's wedding; Al qods fee yom akhar) (2002) Directed by Hany Abu-Assad. Cast: Clara Khoury, Khalifa Natour, Ismael Dabbagh. When Rana is faced with an ultimatum--choose a husband from a list of eligible, respectable men or leave for Egypt--she goes searching for a lover of her own choosing. Moving across checkpoints to the West Bank, finding a wedding dress in a war zone, and settling family differences all in just ten hours, Rana finds that in Jerusalem, love has many roadblocks. 86 min. DVD 5764 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Yaqub, Nadia . "The Palestinian Cinematic Wedding." Journal of Middle East Women's Studies. 2007. Vol. 3, Iss. 2; p. 56 (30 pages)UC users only Joy (Muchrachim Lehiyot Same'ach) (Israel, 2005) Directed by Julie Shles. Cast: Sigalit Fuchs, Tal Friedman, Keren Mor, Yosi Polak, Rivka Michaeli. Joy Levine, oversized but with an enormous heart, is chosen to throw a surprise party for her parents for the reality television show, "Gotta Be Happy." The theme of the show, to be aired right after Yom Kippur, is forgiveness. Joy has to get all of her parents' estranged friends to the party to achieve a reconciliation, but the price she must pay is sharing a dark secret that has hung over the Levines for 22 years. 90 min. DVD 8371 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Kadosh (Sacred) (Israel, 1999) Directed by Amos Gitai. The story of two Hasidic sisters living in the Mea Shearim area of Jerusalem. Rivka and her husband are deeply in love, but he obeys his rabbi father and divorces her after 10 childless years of marriage. Rivka's sister Malka loves a man who has left Hasidism after joining the army, but accepts the marriage her parents have arranged to the rabbi's assistant. 117 min. DVD 401 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Movie Review Query Engine Kippur (Israel, 2000) Directed by Amos Gitai. Film takes place in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War in which Egypt and Syria launched attacks in Sinai and the Golan Heights. The story, told from the perspective of Israeli soldiers, opens on a day of quiet city streets, but ends with death, destruction and devastation of both body and mind. A shell shocked memoir of the director Gitai, himself a participant in the conflict. 123 min. DVD 801 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Laura Adler's Last Love Affair (Ahavatah ha-ahronah shel Lorah Adler) (Israel, 1990) Directed by Avran Heffner. Cast: Rita Zohar, Shulamit Adar, Menashe Warshavski, Avraham Moor, Yacov Shapiro, Sally Anne Friedland. Rita Zohar stars as Laura Adler, the 'queen' of a shoesting Yiddish theater troupe. She is as deeply loved and worshipped by her diminishing Yiddish speaking audience as she is by her colleagues. For a brief moment, Laura is on top of the world when she is offered a leading role in an international film and simultaneously has an explosive love affair with a total stranger. However, before her dreams can come to fruition, fate cruelly intervenes. 96 min. 999:3806 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Milky Way (Shvil Hahalav) (Israel, 1990) Directed by Ali Nassar. A Richly compassionate chronicle of life in an Israeli occupied Arab village which is fiercely ruled by the Mukhtar, who fundamentally serves the interests of the Israeli military governor, instead of those of his own people. These are tough times for the villagers--some are bitter and spiteful--while others are weary of the power struggles. The narrative centers around such incidents as the military commander's discovery that one of the villagers is issuing work permits, and the killing of the Mukhtar's son. 104 min. 999:2312 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database My Michael (Israel, 1975) Directed by Dan Wolman. Two young adults marry in divided 1950's Jerusalem. Michael is content in his marriage, but Hanna finds herself unfulfilled by the bourgeois life she is leading. Based on the novel by Amos Oz. In Hebrew, with English subtitles. 95 min. 999:1101 Noa at Seventeen (Israel, 1982) Directed by Isacc Yeshurun. Noa, a seventeen year old, struggles for personal autonomy as an ideological debate over the future of Kibbutz socialism tears her family apart. In Hebrew, with English subtitles. 86 min. 999:303 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Or, My Treasure (My Treasure; Mon Tresor) (Israel, 2004) Directed by Keren Yedaya. Cast: Ronit Elkabetz, Dana Ivgy, Meshar Cohen, Katia Zimbris, Shmuel Edelman. Or, a pretty and popular Tel Aviv high school student, works nights at a neighborhood restaurant while taking her first tentative steps out of innocence and into first love. But her real full-time job is looking after her mother who has worked as a street prostitute for 20 years. The daughter must make a choice between taking care of her mother's bottomless needs or having an uncorrupted life of her own. 100 min. DVD 4901 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Paradise Now (Palestine, 2005 ) Directed by Hany Abu-Assad. Cast: Kais Nashef, Ali Suliman, Lubna Azabal, Amer Hlehel, Hiam Abbass, Ashraf Barhoum. 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. The first Palestinian film to be nominated for an Academy Award. 91 min. DVD 4901 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Yaqub, Nadia . "The Palestinian Cinematic Wedding." Journal of Middle East Women's Studies. 2007. Vol. 3, Iss. 2; p. 56 (30 pages)UC users only Pillar of Salt (Natziv Hamelech) (Israel, 1979) Directed by Haim Shiran. Cast: Joseph Shiloach, Rita Shukrun, Doron Zvi. Based on the the autobiographical novel by Albert Memmi, captures the cultural richness and social complexity of a Jewish boy's life in Tunisia. 58 min. DVD 7878 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Sallah (Israel, 1964) Directed by Ephraim Kishon. Sallah is a new immigrant to Israel, who arrives with his large family from North Africa, with great expectations. Instead, he winds up in a ramshackle transit camp that arouses his disgust. He decides to take on the bureaucracy in his own inimitable fashion in this satirical comedy showing the problems encountered by immigrants in adjusting to life in Israel. 105 min. 999:2739 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Shem(Israel/UK, 2004) Directed by Caroline Roboh. Cast: Ash Newman, Geraldine de Bastion, Hadassah Hungar Diamant, Istvan Szabo, Ferrante Ferranti, Cyrielle Claire, Arturo Brachetti. Daniel, a young and arrogant Londoner, is bored to death with his life. His jewish grandmother asks him to go through Europe in order to find his grandfather's grave. Not only will Daniel find his long lost grandfather's trace, but he will also come to understand his deep-rooted jewish culture. 93 min. DVD 6586 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Syrian Bride (Ha-Kala Ha-Surit) (France / Germany / Israel, 2004) Directed by Bruce Humberstone. Cast: Hiam Abbass, Makram J. Khoury, Clara Khoury, Ashraf Barhom, Eyad Sheety. In this dark comedy a Druze woman from Golan Heights, through an arranged marriage, is engaged to marry a Syrian television star whom she has never met. Once she crosses the border between Israel and Syria to get married, she will never be allowed back to visit her family in the Golan Heights. 97 min. DVD 5636 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Three Days and a Child (Sheloshah yamim ve-yeled; Trois jours et un enfant) (Israel, 1967) Director, Uri Zohar. Cast: Oded Kotler, Judith Sole, Jermain Unikovsky, Illi Gorlitzky, Misha Asherov, Shai Osherov. Old and new relationships are explored in this film, one of the great classics of Israeli cinema. A young man returns to his kibbutz after army service to find that the woman with whom he is in love has married someone else. Then, one day, his former girlfriend asks him to look after her son for three days. 81 min. 999:3764 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Time of Favor (Ha-Hesder) (Israel, 2000) Directed by Joseph Cedar. Cast: Aki Avni, Tinkerbell, Assi Dayan, Idan Alterman. A taut thriller about the tense relationship between the orthodox nationalists and the military. Both a politico-psychological drama and a love story between a passionate woman and two best friends, Time Of Favor raises important questions of faith to one's religion, duty to one's nation, and love for oneself. 101 min. DVD 4733 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Tzedek Muchlat (Israel, 1998) Directed by Arnon Zadok. A homicide detective, in what started out as a routine murder case, uncovers more than he bargained for and finds himself on a journey of self-discovery, challenging the very foundation of his identity. 89 min. 999:3675 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Wedding in Galilee (Noce en Galilee; 'Urs al-Jalil) (Israel, 1986) Directed by Michel Kleifi. The elder of a Palestinian village in Israel is given permission to hold a traditional wedding for his son on the condition that the Israeli military governor and his staff be guests of honor at the ceremony. In Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles. 113 min. DVD 5823; vhs 999:549 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Kennedy, Tim. "Wedding in Galilee" (Urs al-jalil) Film Quarterly v. 59 no. 4 (Summer 2006) p. 40-6 Rosen, M. Wedding in Galilee" Cineaste v. 16 no. 4 (1988) p. 50+ White, A. Wedding in Galilee. Film Comment v. 24 (May/June 1988) p. 57-8 Yaqub, Nadia. "The Palestinian Cinematic Wedding." Journal of Middle East Women's Studies. 2007. Vol. 3, Iss. 2; p. 56 (30 pages)UC users only West Bank Story (USA, 2005) Directed by Kim Ray and Ari Sandel. A musical comedy set in the fast-paced, fast-food world of competing falafel stands on the West Bank... David, an Israeli soldier, falls in love with the beautiful Palestinian cashier, Fatima, despite the animosity between their families' dueling restaurants. Can the couple's love withstand a 2000 year old conflict and their families' desire to control the future of the chic pea in the Middle East? Academy Award Winner, Best Short, 2005. 21 min. DVD 7523 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database The Wooden Gun (Roveh Hulyot) (Israel, 1979) Directed by Ilan Moshenson. Set in Tel Aviv during the 1950's, this film focuses on two rival youth groups whose behavior and motivation raises questions regarding first generation sabras (native-born Israelis). 91 min. 999:1099 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Lebanon L'Adolescente, Sucre d'Amour (1984) The first film shot in post-war Lebanon, it begins in Beirut ten years into the conflict. Hala is a child of the war who sees life through the Egyptian movies she watches on television. Karim, an artist in retreat from life, remains in his apartment confident that he is safe in his familiar neighborhood. An unlikely bond is formed between them as they face a devastating civil war. 90 min. 999:3042 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Kahlil Gibran's The Broken Wings (1964) Directed by Yousef Malouf. The true love story of the Lebanese poet-philosopher, Kahlil Gibran, and a love that beat desperately against the taboos of Oriental tradition. With great sensitivity and lyricism, Gibran describes his passion as a youth for Selma Karamy, the beautiful girl of Beirut who first unfolded to him the secrets of love. But it is a love that is doomed by a social convention which forces Selma into marriage with another man. 95 min. 999:3016 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database Once Upon a Time, Beirut (Il etait une fois Beyrouth: histoire d'une star) (1994) Director, Jocelyne Saab. Distraught over their city's destruction, Yasmine and Leila embark on a journey in search of Beirut's past. Their possession of two rare films lands them an encounter with Monsieur Farouk, a reclusive film connoisseur who