Tunisia has made relatively few submissions for the international feature Oscar, yet thanks to female helmer Kaouther Ben Hania, the country recently earned a nomination with “The Man Who Sold His Skin” (2020) and a place on the shortlist with “Four Daughters” (2023). This year’s submission, “Take My Breath,” comes from another female director, Nada Mezni […]

In his second theatrical film, multi-hyphenate Mehran Modiri, one of Iran’s most beloved TV satirists, turns his hand to the thriller genre with mixed results. He writes, directs and performs in the intense but increasingly contrived social issues movie “6 A.M.,” in which a small incident escalates into a big tragedy. Although the indie feature […]

Inspired by Saudi writer-director-producer Ahd Kamel’s childhood, the nostalgic coming-of-age story “My Driver & I” unfolds against the backdrop of Jeddah in the 1980s and ’90s and traces the relationship of a rebellious girl and the Sudanese chauffeur her affluent family hires as a driver. A more conventional-looking and less compelling watch than “Wadjda” (2012), […]

Two differing views of Gaza — a dreamy, nostalgic one and a harsher, lived one — come together in a not completely satisfying way in “Yalla Parkour,” winner of DOC NYC’s international prize. The film marks the feature debut of Areeb Zuaiter, a Nablus-born, Washington, D.C.-based filmmaker. Ten years in the making, the documentary wrapped […]