Arabic Language, Literature & Culture

This award-winning film about revenge, loyalty, hope and despair, draws us into the lives of two brothers fearing assassination; a young refugee working illegally to cover his mother's medical expenses; a cop obsessed with finding his missing brother. Religious tensions simmer beneath the surface and tragic consequences follow when enemies live as neighbors. In Arabic or Hebrew with English subtitles.

Ali, Kwita, Omar and Boubker are a group of street urchins living in the hard streets of Casablanca. Their everyday lives are filled with violence, begging, and indifference. In order to survive, they create a bond of friendship and family between them. That bond is cut short however by a senseless act of violence. A film about the power of dreams and presence of hope in the harshest of circumstances. In Arabic and French with English subtitles.

17-year-old Tal has emigrated from France to Jerusalem with her family. She writes a letter expressing her refusal to accept that only hatred can reign between Israelis and Palestinians. She slips the letter into a bottle, and her brother throws it into the sea near Gaza, where he is carrying out his military service. A few weeks later, Tal receives an email response from a mysterious "Gazaman," a young Palestinian named Naim. From such a beginning, can a friendship follow? Based on the award-winning novel by Valérie Zenatti. In Hebrew, Arabic, and French with English subtitles.

Noura is an inquisitive 13-year-old boy whose eyes are opened to his own sexual desires when he visits the local bathhouse with his mother. Gazing upon the spectacular array of unclothed women and girls, Noura begins to experience his first pangs of longing. But just as Noura is awakening to the pleasures of the fair sex, he risks being wrestled from their tender, affactionate companionship and being thrust into the callow and rigid company of men. In Arabic with English subtitles.

An emotional confrontation between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee leads to a court case that gets national attention. In Arabic with English subtitles.

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. Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. In Arabic with English subtitles.

An award-winning film about an Algerian elementary school teacher who is approached by a terrorist group, which asks her to plant a bomb in her school. In Arabic and French with English subtitles.

A Tunisian widow embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she investigates a suspected liaison between her headstrong teenaged daughter and a cabaret musician, and is drawn into the world of cabaret belly dancers and nocturnal pleasure-seekers. In Arabic with English subtitles.

An untraditional Shiite woman and a Christian taxi driver find they have a lot in common when she hires him to take her to find her son during a cease-fire in the Lebanon-Israel conflict of 2006. This film has won multiple awards. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Wadjda, a fun-loving 10-year-old girl living in Saudi Arabia, has her heart set on a beautiful new bicycle. However, her mother won't allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl's virtue. In this coming of age story, Wadjda uncovers the contradictions and opportunities ingrained in her world. Winner of numerous film awards. In Arabic or French with English subtitles.

Two 16-year-old girls have an intense friendship while living in Nazi-occupied Tunis in 1942. Nour is a Muslim who eagerly anticipates her wedding to a handsome cousin. Myriam is a French Jew who is furiously resisting her betrothal to a much older doctor. However, his money is needed by her family to pay fines imposed by the Nazis. In Arabic or French with English subtitles.

Set in a remote Lebanese village where the church and mosque stand side by side, this film follows the improbable schemes concocted by the town's women to keep their men from starting a religious war. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Available in print and as an e-book

Available in print and as an e-book