Film series: The Middle East on Film

Here in America, we are used to seeing images of the Middle East: in news bulletins, we have watched as war and conflict seem to rip the region apart. However, the Middle East is not just a space of violence and suffering, nor are newscasts the only medium through which the region can be represented and understood. 

For more than a century, the Middle East has been home to a vibrant cinematic culture, centered in particular in Cairo, Tehran, and Tel Aviv. The Department of Near Eastern Studies is partnering with Cornell Cinema this year to bring Middle Eastern cinema to campus, offering students, staff and the broader Ithaca community a rare opportunity to experience new and canonical films from across the Middle East in the communal setting of the Cornell Cinema. 

In the fall semester, we will focus on historical films of epic scale. From modern Palestine and Iran to ancient Arabia, medieval Armenia, and Islamic Spain, these films capture grand, sweeping historical changes that have had enormous impacts on global culture and continue to affect our contemporary world. Yet, these historical epics do more than just broadly depict historical events: they also invite us into the psychological experiences of those who live through them. As we follow characters whose lives unfold in moments of great change or dynamic political energy, these films encourage us to think about how individuals are forced to navigate turbulent times and unsettled political realities.

The series begins with a recent historical drama Palestine 36 (2025), directed by Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir. The film depicts the tumultuous years of the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt at the end of the British Mandate period in Palestine, before the foundation of the state of Israel. Centering on a Palestinian man, Yusuf, as he moves between his rural origins and the bustling city of occupied Jerusalem, the film explores the complex and mercurial relationships that develop between the colonial elites and the local Palestinians over whom they exercise their control. 

Next, we turn from the modern to the ancient with The Message (1976), a classic of truly epic proportions. Charting the course of the Prophet Muhammad’s career from the first revelations to his death in 632, this film depicts the changing landscape of piety and belief in Mecca and Medina. The film never shows Prophet on screen, inviting us instead to focus on the impact of the Prophet’s revelations on both his believers and those who fought against him. 

Following on from The Message, we turn attention to medieval Spain and the illustrious career of the twelfth-century Muslim philosopher Averroes (Ibn Rushd), whose life is the subject of our third film Destiny (1998). A philosopher and a free thinker, Averroes’ ideas had an enormous influence on medieval European and Muslim thought. Living in a period filled with conflict and sectarianism, he sought to promote literacy, the acquisition of knowledge and open enquiry, yet found himself and his ideas stymied by the changing political circumstances of his day. Director Youssef Chahine, perhaps the most famous Egyptian director of the twentieth century, uses the life of Averroes as the canvas upon which to respond to the rise of fundamentalism in the Egypt of the 1990s. 

In early November, just after Halloween, we then return to more recent history with the contemporary Iranian horror film Under the Shadow (2016), directed by Babak Anvari. Set during the protracted Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s—a war in which at least half a million people lost their lives—the film explores the psychological turmoil wrought by these political conditions in the confined space of a small Tehran apartment complex. Blending Islamic folklore with political commentary, this film’s insistent interiority will leave viewers unsettled and uncertain: what really is causing these characters’ descent into madness?

Finally, we shall close out the semester with Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov’s widely renowned The Color of Pomegranates (1968). This film is a must-see on the big screen with truly breathtaking cinematography and music. Though it roughly follows the life of the Armenian poet Sayat-Nova, the film is not really a biography. Rather, it presents a series of tableaux-vivants that demonstrate the historical breadth of Armenian culture. Banned upon its release in the USSR, the film has long been regarded as a masterpiece of global cinema.

Not had enough of the Middle East on Film? Never fear! We shall be back next semester with another five films… stay tuned for more details! 

All events are free and open to the public. The series is organized by by Jonny Lawrence, Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Studies, and sponsored by the Department of Near Eastern Studies and the Cornell Council for the Arts.