Cinema from the Gulf: Alia Yunis’ Recommendations

Alia Yunis joined us on Kawalis for a three-part special exploring the origins of Gulf cinema during the colonial occupation. She gives us a full picture of the scene’s early days, its current state and what’s coming in the future.

Yunis gave some recommendations for anyone interested in getting a taste of good Gulf films from across the decades.

Farewell, Arabia (1968)

This is a key example of the type of documentaries that oil companies were supporting in the early days of Gulf cinema. It covers issues such as petroleum discovery, distribution of wealth, and new venture planning in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

City of Life (2009)

This was the first independently funded Emirati film to play widely, and explores a collision of cultures and experiences in Dubai. “A privileged young male Arab at odds with his cultural identity and his less fortunate street smart friend; a disillusioned Indian taxi driver who bears an uncanny resemblance to a famous Bollywood star; and a former Romanian ballet dancer now working as a flight attendant and searching for love and companionship ... these individuals all live in Dubai and their lives are about to collide for better or for worse in a city where ambition, growth and opportunity are encouraged and dreams can still manifest. City of Life is an urban drama that tracks the various intersections of a multi-ethnic cast, examining how random interactions and their consequences can irrevocably impact another's life. As the name suggests, City of Life's inordinately humane kaleidoscope of converging experiences introduces a city that is in itself a living pulsating character. It ultimately reveals how unexpected tragedy and loss can lead to hope and profound transformation as it explores and exposes the complex network that exists in an emerging multi cultural society's race, ethnicity and class divide.” (via IMDB)

No Woman, No Drive (2011)

Telfaz 11 is the Saudi content creator and filmmaker collective that rose to fame on YouTube. This is one example of their content that went viral: a satirical video set to Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry — released before women were allowed to drive in Saudi, this video shed light on the issue.

Bas Ya Bahr 

This was the first feature film to be made by the state of Kuwait. It is a period piece about Kuwait before the discovery of oil when fishing was the predominant occupation. It tells the story of a crippled pearl diver who forbids his son Mussaid to go to sea to dive for pearls.

Hamed and the Pirates 

This film tells the story of Hamad, a young Muslim orphan who goes pearl diving and falls overboard during a storm. He is rescued by a pirate dhow roaming the waters with treasures stolen from the island. Soon, Hamad escapes the ship and travels across Dubai and Saudi Arabia to reach Manama and get the authorities to capture the pirates and recover the treasure.

Baraka meets Baraka

A 2016 film that follows a middle-class man, Barakah, as he meets a girl (also named Barakah) from a rich family. A light-touch commentary on modern Saudi society as the two struggle with their romance and negotiate strict social constructs and expectations.

Najim al Garem — Hamama 

“Hamama is a nearly 90-year-old female healer and living legend in the Emirates. Blessed with an incredible gift of healing she has to face her fragility and age that threaten to impact her work and livelihood. Her skills are incredibly valuable to hundreds who continue to visit her where she lives in Al Dhaid in Sharjah each day seeking her essential cures. Yet, Hamama struggles with the responsibility of providing the care that is so greatly needed, while she confronts her own personal hardships. How does Hamama bear all of these burdens yet still remain one of the most successful and in demand Shaman of her time? A question tested and answered in this captivating visual testimony.” (via IMDB)

The Dupes 

“Set in the 1950s, The Dupes traces the destinies of three different men brought together by their dispossession, their despair and their hope for a better future. The protagonists are Palestinian refugees who are trying to make their way across the border from Iraq into Kuwait, the 'Promised Land,' concealed in the steel tank of a truck. Representing different dimensions of the Palestinian experience, each one believes he can make a new life for himself, but as the film’s title suggests, their flight is no solution. One of the first Arab films to address the Palestinian question, 'The Dupes' is based on the 1962 novella 'Men in the Sun' by assassinated Palestinian writer, artist and resistance leader, Ghassan Kanafani. Set in Palestine and Iraq, and filmed in Syria by Tewfik Saleh, an Egyptian director, the film was banned in several Arab countries due to its implied criticisms of Arab governments.” (via Palestinian Film Institute)