The Courier

Several directors from countries of the region were invited to create stories taking place in and around the beautiful city of Istanbul, in the vein of “Paris, je t’aime” and “New York, I love you”. They come together to remind viewers that Istanbul’s history does not belong only to the people of Turkey.

From the perspective of two Palestinian men who are preparing to perform a suicide attack in Israel, this is the first film to deal with the subject of suicide bombers.

Mohammed Assaf, an aspiring musician living in Gaza, sets a seemingly impossible goal: to compete on the program "Arab Idol."

The movie follows Rajai, a Ford Transit driver which is the most popular transportation in the Palestinian occupied territories (occupied by Israel). While taking a ride with Rajai, we experience the frustrating situation the Palestinian need to deal with. On our trips from the roadblock in Ramallah to the roadblock in Jerusalem, we get to hear analysis of the situation by all kinds of random transporters, people from different religions, origins, and levels of class.

Returning to his native city just months before the new millennium, filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad captures the daily, idiosyncratic beats of Nazareth - a city both Christians and Muslims consider one of the most sacred in the world. Set against the background of the riots surrounding a square that both the municipality and the Muslim community lay claim to, Abu-Assad allows his story to unfold through the eyes of two cynical, funny and wise gas station attendants who have been working at the service station for decades. Their comments on the political and social conditions of their city paint both a tragic and subtle image of its inhabitants.

The drama, the story of three childhood friends and a young woman who are torn apart in their fight for freedom, is billed as the first fully-financed film to come out of the Palestinian cinema industry.

A Palestinian girl of 17 who wants to get married to the man of her own choosing. Rana wakes up one morning to an ultimatum delivered by her father: she must either choose a husband from a preselected list of men, or she must leave Palestine for Egypt with her father by 4:00 that afternoon.

Intent on making a film, a group of resourceful young boys don't let limited resources stand in their way.

20 short films about human rights.