To celebrate the release of Nora Twomey’s Oscar-nominated adaptation of Deborah Ellis’ novel The Breadwinner, out now on EST, DVD and Blu-ray, we take a look at some of the most unusual films that explore The Middle East.
The Breadwinner (2017)
From executive producer Angelina Jolie and twice Academy Award and BAFTA-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon, The Breadwinner tells the story of Parvana, an 11-year-old girl growing up under the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. When her father is wrongfully arrested, Parvana disguises herself as a boy in order to support her family.
Under the Shadow (2016)
Babak Anvari directs this chilling horror based in 1980s Tehran, during the War of the Cities. Under the Shadow explores a mother (Shideh) and her daughter (Dorsa) haunted by an unseen malevolent spirit after a missile destroys their home.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)
This Persian-language film, directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, follows a young Iranian man named Arash who lives in the ghost-town known as ‘Bad City’. The thing that makes this Iranian ghost-town different to any other is the lonely vampire that stalks the streets. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night was chosen to show in the ‘Next Programme at the 2014 Sundance Festival’.
Waltz with Bashir (2008)
Written and directed by Ari Folman, Waltz with Bashir is an animated war documentary film that portrays Folman as he tries to retrace his steps. Folman attempts to recover his lost memory, through interviews with fellow veterans, to remember his personal experience as a soldier during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
Persepolis (2007)
Set during the Islamic Revolution, this adult animated film based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi follows a young girl (Marjane) as she grows up and comes of age in a volatile revolutionary environment. Persepolis premiered at 2007 Cannes Film Festival, where it co-won the Jury Prize.
The Breadwinner is out now on EST, DVD and Blu-ray.
