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Film Studies: National Cinemas

This guide highlights selected resources for various national cinemas.

Introduction to film in the Middle East

In the early 20th century, some filmmaking infrastructure was developed under colonial rule, especially in relation to newsreel and documentary production. British and French filmmakers also used well-known locations—the pyramids in Egypt, the kasbah in Algiers—as settings for films intended for their home markets. Films from the USA, India, and the USSR were widely viewed in the region, and from the 1930s Egypt established a large and successful film industry and became the region’s dominant producer and exporter of commercial entertainment cinema. Smaller scale film production also developed in Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Israel, the latter with its own distinct film culture.   ...

Kuhn, A., & Westwell, G. (2020). Middle East, film in the. In A Dictionary of Film Studies. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 20 May. 2021

Searching the online catalog

You can use the subject headings below to find resources in the online catalog. The call number ranges are also included. Please note: these are not the only call number ranges, but they have the majority of items.

"Middle East: Political Map." World Geography and Culture Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 31 Mar. 2017

Introductory reading(s)

Other selected book title(s)

Finding scholarly articles & journals

You can find many publications which feature articles on Middle Eastern cinema. Our collection does not have journals that cover Middle East cinema exclusively. You can use Film & Television Literature Index to find articles or use the search box at the top of the page.

Selected movie titles

Find more Middle Eastern films in the library's collections.