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About Elly
Iran, 2009, 119 min.
In his fourth feature, talented writer/director Asghar Farhadi casts a revealing light on the elaborate culture of deceit that's part and parcel of modern Iranian society with a gripping drama about upper-middle-class Tehranis on a catastrophic seaside holiday.... more
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Ajami
Israel, 2009, 120 min.
A powerful crime drama set on the mean streets of Jaffa's Ajami neighborhood, a melting pot of cultures and conflicting views among Jews, Muslims, and Christians.... more
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Angel at Sea
Belgium, 2009, 86 min.
Twelve-year-old Louis lives a charmed life in a small Moroccan town. But one night his father shares a secret with him that changes their relationship, and Louis' life, forever. This visually arresting and emotionally gripping film won the top prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.... more
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City of Borders
USA, 2009, 66 min.
Set during the construction of the separation wall between Israel and the Palestinian territories, City of Borders documents Jerusalem's gay community's struggles to hold a gay pride celebration in the Holy City while the characters, and the country, contend with internal conflicts.... more
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Eyes Wide Open
Israel, 2009, 90 min.
A taboo-breaking drama about a married butcher who falls in love with a seductive younger man in Jerusalem's insular ultra-orthodox community. It's shocking to see the extremes community leaders take to insure conformity in their compact, rigidly ordered world.... more
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For a Moment, Freedom
Austria, 2009, 110 min.
Combining realism, warmth, suspense, humor and tragedy, For A Moment, Freedom, centers on a group of weary Middle Eastern refugees who have made their way to Turkey to apply for European visas.... more
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Heliopolis
Egypt, 2009, 96 min.
An honest and important expression of a generation's fight for their dreams in the face of harsh realities, Ahmad Abdalla's ensemble drama focuses a sharp critique of Egyptian society matched by a nostalgia-drenched longing for life before the 1952 Revolution.... more
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Jaffa
Israel, 2009, 105 min.
This absorbing melodrama plays like a Middle Eastern Romeo and Juliet. When tragedy strikes mere hours before Mali, a teenage Jewish girl and Taufik, her Arab sweetheart (and employee in her father's garage) are to elope, years of trust between employer and employees is shattered.... more
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The Long Night
Syria, 2009, 93 min.
Three long-term political prisoners are suddenly released -- but why, and what awaits them? Elegant and cinematic, this intelligent political drama offers a searing indictment of contemporary Syrian life and politics, yet is universal in its intellectual, political and moral fury.... more
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A Matter of Size
Israel, 2009, 90 min.
Fed up with dieting, four overweight friends decide to start a sumo wrestling club in this genial situation comedy. Part sports drama, part love story, this is a sweetly absurd tale of forlorn blue-collar guys pursuing a difficult goal and in the process learning to accept themselves.... more
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Welcome
France, 2009, 110 min.
A smoothly crafted, emotionally affecting drama driven by powerful performances, Welcome focuses on illegal immigrants trying to reach England from Calais, and the risk taken by the French people who help them despite threats from the police.... more
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