The Chess Moves of Tarik Saleh’s Spy Thriller, Boy From Heaven
Karim Goury revels in the new feature from Swedish Egyptian director Tarik Saleh.
Film Reviews
Orientalism and the Erasure of Middle Easterners in Black Adam
Mireille Rebeiz takes issue with the dismal portrayal of Arabs and other Middle Easterners in a Hollywood superhero movie.
Why Muslim Palestinian “Mo” Preferred Catholic Confession to Therapy
As a Muslim American and scholar of Islam, Sarah Eltantawi finds the new series from Mo Amer and Ramy Youssef cathartic.
44th CINEMED fest to Fête Simone Bitton & Abdellatif Kéchiche
Montpellier's venerable Mediterranean film festival announces retrospectives and avant-premières.
Cem Kaya on the Sound of Turkey in Germany
Necati Sönmez, a Berlin film critic and curator, reviews the new music documentary from German-Turkish director Cem Kaya.
Mohammad Shawky Hassan’s Ode to Queer Love in Berlin
Iskandar Abdalla reviews the new film "Shall I Compare you to A Summer’s Day?"
Two Syrian Brothers Find Themselves in “We Are From There”
Angélique Crux reviews the award-winning documentary from Lebanese filmmaker Wissam Tanios.
Tunisians On the Couch in “Arab Blues”
Mischa Geracoulis reviews the film in which a Paris-trained shrink analyzes fellow Tunisians suffering from mental maladies.
War and Trauma in Yemen: Asim Abdulaziz’s “1941”
Farah Abdessamad considers generations of survivors in Yemen's first experimental film.
Lebanon in a Loop: A Retrospective of “Waves ’98”
Youssef Manessa reviews a short film from Ely Dagher that speaks to his generation of Lebanese born in the '90s.
Saeed Taji Farouky: “Strange Cities Are Familiar”
The filmmaker behind "Tell Spring Not to Come This Year" and "A Thousand Fires" journeys with Mohammad Bakri to find home.
Film Review: “Memory Box” on Lebanon Merges Art & Cinema
Arie Akkersmans-Amaya reviews the latest film by Lebanese artist duo Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, whom he interviews.
Film Review: Maysoon Pachachi’s “Our River…Our Sky” in Iraq
Nadje Al-Ali finds that Maysoon Pachachi’s film reflects her "long-standing commitment to highlight experiences of ordinary Iraqis, especially women."
2022 Webby Honoree Documents Queer Turkish Icon
İlker Hepkaner reviews a web documentary on the fascinating trajectory of Turkey's late icon, Zeki Müren.
Film Review: “How to Kill a Cloud” Brings Rain to the UAE
Farah Abdessamad is fascinated by a climate change documentary about would-be rainmakers in the UAE.