For the October issue of @sightsoundmag.bsky.social, I wrote in the Lost and Found section about Borhane Alaouié's criminally neglected 1981 classic 'Beirut the Encounter', the great romantic drama of the Civil War period that remains as pertinent as ever. www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-so...

For BFI, I wrote something brief about Yanis Koussim's brilliant Algerian horror 'Roqia,' one of the most startling discoveries of #venicefilmfestival2025. www.bfi.org.uk/lists/6-disc...

I fuckin give up. www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article...

Alright folks. Here's the first entry of my new film column with Albustan Seeds of Culture, in which I write more on Kamal Aljafari's brilliant 'With Hasan in Gaza,' the importance of experimental Arab cinema for the current political discourse. www.albustanseeds.org/news/experim...

Alright folks. Here's the first entry of my new film column with Albustan Seeds of Culture, in which I write more on Kamal Aljafari's brilliant 'With Hasan in Gaza,' the importance of experimental Arab cinema for the current political discourse. www.albustanseeds.org/news/experim...

Not surprised one bit. www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

No more luxury jets for him then. www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...

The best film won #VeniceFilmFestival2025's Golden Lion. There, I said it. Fuckin sue me.

Included in my #VeniceFilmFestival2025 coverage is my take on Cyril Aris' Lebanese 'A Sad and Beautiful World' which just earned the @giornate's People’s Choice Award. I love the film, and for my money, it's the best Arab love story in many years. www.middleeasteye.net/discover/nor...

First roundup of Middle Eastern films of #VeniceFilmFestival2025, featuring mini reviews of Hijra, A Sad and Beautiful World, My Father and Qaddafi, and Past, Future Continuous, along with coverage of the Gaza-related events. For @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social www.middleeasteye.net/discover/nor...

Will be writing my thoughts about it in full soon but this is film that a lot of people will and must watch.A film that does have the power to convert. It's a film certainly not made for me,nor would I wanna watch it ever again. #Venezia82 More later www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/20...

Ozu is not just my favourite filmmaker, he's the reason why I still love and believe in cinema as an art form. As expected, this was exceedingly emotional and moving. And it left me fucking sobbing! One of the very best films I've seen in #Venice82 www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/20...

'No Other Choice' is Park Chan-wook's 'Parasite': a stylistically entrancing anti-cacapitalist parable peppered with deliciously macabre set-pieces. His funniest, most political picture to day. Total riot. #VeniceFilmFestival #Venezia82 www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U77...

Hello Venice.

Thrilled to announce 'Cinema, Etcetera', a new monthly column with Philly's Al Bustan Seeds of Culture. Expect more coverage of Middle Eastern and Middle Eastern-related cinema in relation to the American cultural landscape. Stayed tuned for my first entry. www.albustanseeds.org/news/ziadrah...

Paul Laverty was wearing this very T-shirt at the Edinburgh Film Festival talk I moderated with him, Ken Loach and Rebecca O’Brien on Wednesday. He spoke passionately about human rights, peace and raising your voice for the voiceless. Of course he had to be arrested.

My @criterion.bsky.social essay on 'Cairo Station,' in which I explore Chahine's aesthetics and politics, the aborted promises of the 1952 revolution, and a city that has become a shadow of its former self. A big thank you to my wonderful editor Liz Helfgott. www.criterion.com/current/post...

Gaza, Lebanon, and a controversial Tunisian auteur dominate at the Locarno film festival - https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/gaza-lebanon-and-controversial-tunisian-auteur-dominate-locarno-film-festival

On the 2025 Locarno film fest, Kamal Aljafari's remarkable new feature - the standout Middle Eastern pic of the fest - and Giona Nazzaro's groundbreaking speech on Palestine. With mini-reviews of all Middle Eastern films. For @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social www.middleeasteye.net/discover/gaz...

The most important thing you'll read all month. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

In the September issue of @sightsoundmag.bsky.social , I wrote about Kamal El Sheikh's classic feminist mystery 'The Last Night,' one of my all-time favourite Egyptian pics and one of the 50 hidden gems chosen by critics and filmmakers. Out now in stores. www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-so...

Finally watched it and...holy fuck! Wild, wild, wild! It's 'Wages of Fear' meets the sufism of Ibn Arabi. Unnerving and entrancing in equal measures. Greatest explosions in cinema since "Zabriskie Point." By a long margin, best film of the year. #Sirat www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww-I...

Great read. www.theguardian.com/news/2025/au...

Was disappointed and disheartened by his initial support for Sis (although his stance was identical to most Egyptian intellectuals at the time), but this takes nothing away from his genius and boldness. RIP the Egyptian great #SonallahIbrahim www.bbc.com/arabic/artic...

The biggest Locarno discovery from me this year is this incredible Swiss drama. Laced with existential dread and Antonioni-esque ennui, Simon Edelstein's little-known and barely-seen mood-piece deserves a place among the best Swiss films of the '70ies. t.co/ghU88vl5o9

So the good news is that 'Mektoub, My Love: Canto Due' is the not the disaster we all anticipated it would be. Devoid of his usual predating, disgusting close-ups, political correctness has certainly done Kechiche good in what is the best entry of the series.

Thrilled to see the upcoming @criterion.bsky.social release of 'Cairo Station' in @indiewire.com.web.brid.gy's best Blu-ray and 4K releases of August. www.indiewire.com/gallery/best...

Took the opportunity of reviewing the @Berinale Golden Bear winner 'Dreams (Sex Love)' to explore the thematically rich, formally inventive work of the great Dag Johan Haugerud. For the September issue of @sightsoundmag.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/sigh...

"Taking a leaf from Roland Barthes, Haugerud vividly captures the dizzying highs and lows of first love" @josephfahim.bsky.social reviews Dreams (Sex Love), the final film in Dag Johan Haugerud’s Oslo Stories trilogy. Out Friday. www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-so...

For my money, the Argentine Noir collection at the @criterionchannel.bsky.social is possibly the most exciting thing to land on any streaming platform this year. So many great discoveries in here. 'The Bitter Stems' and 'The Beast Must Die' are masterpieces. www.criterionchannel.com/argentine-noir

Friends in Morocco, delighted to be hosting a special screening of two of Kamal Aljafari's earlier films: The Roof (2006) and Belconies (2007) on Sunday, July 27, 6 pm, at the American Arts Center of Casablanca. www.instagram.com/p/DMdGghuKA6...

He was the greatest. One of the most rebellious, most defiant, most authentic voices in all of Arab music. This one's gonna hurt. RIP Ziad. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Had the honour of talking to the great Palestinian star Mohammad Bakri in one of the most emotional interviews I've ever conducted about his childhood, his relationship with Israeli and Arab cinemas, his political position, and the legacy of 'Jenin, Jenin.' For BFI www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/q...

Friends in Morocco, delighted to be hosting a special screening of two of Kamal Aljafari's earlier films: The Roof (2006) and Belconies (2007) on Sunday, July 27, 6 pm, at the American Arts Center of Casablanca. www.instagram.com/p/DMdGghuKA6...

I'm sure Hamas were in the sole Catholic church in Gaza. Fuckin scum. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Must read. www.blast-info.fr/articles/202...

In Morocco, where most films are shown with French subtitles and where the solo cinema showing non-Hollywood and non-French films is in Tangier. The colonialist influence is still very much present in here. And the lack of film exhibition is truly bizarre and disheartening.

"The American way is tremendously immigrant friendly. But there are rules. You can’t come in saying, ‘I want to get rid of all the rules in America because I wanted to be more like Somalia." Fuck your racist ass. Fuckin disgusting. www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...

@MiddleEastEye: The first Iraqi film shown in Cannes, Hasan Hadi's 'The President’s Cake' is a moving, gripping, fable that envelopes its pointed politics with magical realism deeply rooted in Iraqi mythology, writes Joseph Fahim in his review

A new Wim Wenders photo exhibit at Berlin's Bastian Gallery packs a lot of ideas so sagaciously, so concisely, so beautifully. Highly recommended.

Egypt doesn't give a fuck about its poor. To have 9 people die today after 19 girls were killed a week ago on the same fuckin road is a level of incompetence and corruption unseen anywhere else in the world. And of course, nobody will resign. Fuck this. www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details...

On Hasan Hadi's deeply moving realistic fable @cannesfilmfestival.bsky.social Caméra d'Or winner 'The President's Cake,' possibly the finest Iraqi film in history and the best Arab film of the year so far. For @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social www.middleeasteye.net/discover/pre...

Never been a Liverpool fan but had a lot of admiration for him. This is truly harrowing and tragic. Rip www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Let it be known that the great Mira Nair, Zohran Mamdani's mother, knows about my legendary @alitalia.bsky.social story. And that's enough of a reason to support the man! #neverforget #Alitaliatragedy! www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/n...

Blown away by Liviu Ciulei's underrated masterwork 'The Forest of the Hanged,' one of the most psychologically dense war dramas of the '60ies. Entrancing cinematography from Ovidiu Gologan.Major discovery from the Romanian retrospective at Berlin's Babylon Mitte. www.imdb.com/name/nm03266...

at least he didn't do something truly reckless like try to forgive student loans

My statement on the Trump administration's illegal military actions and the wars that must end.

In the summer 2025 issue of @sightsoundmag.bsky.social, I wrote about Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina's Palme d'Or winner 'Chronicle of the Years of Fire,' a piece I wrote and filed a day before his death last month. www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-so...

Lest we forgot, Saleh Bakri was once voted "Israel's sexist man"!!! www.aljazeera.com/opinions/201...

For my money, Sembène's most daring picture; a film underlining the contentious reality that all Abrahamic religions are rooted in colonialism. Possibly my favourite of his. And my gosh, those faces...those colours...and that surreal interlude. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cKQ...