Films

Exploring Mediterranean and European cinema — reviews, retrospectives, and festival highlights.

Still from La Fune (2007) by Zahra Mackaoui — Italian and North African identity
Film

La Fune — Zahra Mackaoui (2007)

A rope stretched between two buildings. A child learning to walk it. An Italian village that watches, half in admiration,…

Zahra Mackaoui 2007
Still from Falafel (2006) by Michel Kammoun — post-war Beirut drama, Bayard d Or winner
Film

Falafel — Michel Kammoun (2006)

Beirut has been the subject of countless films about war, but Michel Kammoun’s Falafel is about what comes after —…

Michel Kammoun 2006
Still from Aligato (2007) by Maka Sidibe — short film about a cross-cultural proposal
Film

Aligato — Maka Sidibé (2007)

Aligato takes its title from a mispronunciation — or perhaps a reinvention — of the Japanese word for gratitude, filtered…

Maka Sidibé 2007
Still from Hiyab (2008) by Xavi Sala — short film about a student and her hijab
Film

Hiyab — Xavi Sala (2008)

Xavi Sala’s Hiyab begins with a conversation and ends with a question — one that seven minutes and fifty-six seconds…

Xavi Sala 2008