What are your best recommendations of movies from for example Palestine? Or just generally outside the imperial core? Ones with English subtitles available.
I am finding some with search engines like a title called Lemon tree, but would prefer those who know better to point me towards some. Also interested in documentaries, watched the Mayor not long ago and it was great.
It’s not about Palestine, and made by a Western director, but it might still be what you’re looking for:
The Act of Killing, (CW reenacted violence) a documentary in which the perpetrators of the 1965-7 anticommunist genocide in Indonesia were asked to make a propaganda movie demonstrating how they did it, not realizing the documentary would instead show their depravity and evil.
This documentary was devastating for me, both personally and on a human level, not to mention what it means for the safety of leftists. It’s not entertaining by any means though, it’s a heavy one.
(Quiet as kept as good as The Act of Killing is, the sequel The Look of Silence (2015) is even better)
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Watched this halfway tonight, can’t handle the whole thing in one go. You are right about the safety of leftists, this chilled me to the bone.
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Irani cinema has some pretty great releases… The Wind Will Carry Us, A Separation, The Day I Became A Woman, Ten, Children Of Heaven, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, etc…
Some other good Middle Eastern ones include Capernaum, Farha, Incendies (French Canadian director), Last Man In Aleppo, The Band’s Visit, etc.
I think, in the general-ish region, Turkey has the largest and most diverse film industry by far. There are some legitimate gems. Dedemin İnsanları, Once Upon A Time In Anatolia, Son Çıkış, Annemin Yarası, Zeytin Ağacı, Bir Başkadır, Aile Arasında, Ölü Ekmeği, Yaşı Batı, G.O.R.A., Pek Yakında, Kosmos, Monseuir Ibrahim (French but it ends in Turkey).
Yahşi Batı, G.O.R.A.
I don’t watch movies all that often but having seen G.O.R.A. I think Cem Yılmaz is highly overrated. He has shallow humor that depends too much on pop-culture references.
Maybe nostalgia filter is at work here but Kemal Sunal is probably the most beloved Turkish comedy actor. Often got typecast as the naive but well-meaning working class hero. Kibar Feyzo even got banned for a while because it was too leftist(unions are portrayed sympethically and the plot is about Feyzo trying to unite the people of his town to overthrow their landlord, though he gets arrested at the end). It is not theory by any means but enjoyable.
Yeah Yahşi Batı isn’t my favorite but I’d watch anything with Demet Evgar. Pek Yaşında was cute though.
Oh thanks so much, I have seen A Separation and liked it a lot even though am not a drama film person as such. This is our Saturday movie night sorted, I am sure I can find one of these from somewhere.
A Separation has got to be one of my favorite movies, check out About Elly too if you liked it. really can’t go wrong with Asghar Farhadi’s movies.
I liked Shekarchi (The Hunter) (2010) with Rafi Pitts
Again not from Palestine but Carlos (2010) is an epic multilingual action movie about Carlos the Jackal of the PFLP.
There are a few versions out there, but the one that you want is the Euro miniseries that’s cut into three 1:45 segments, the first is everything before the OPEC raid and hijacking, the second is just OPEC, the third is everything after.
(This is an annoying thing to say but true: the 2.5 hour cut is completely incoherent and a bad, confusing movie. Just watch part one and/or part two if you don’t want a huge time commitment)
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