This month, keep your eyes on DOC NYC! The documentary film festival is filled with incredible films, including many Arab films (largely in their shorts programming). I have not seen any of the films in this year’s lineup personally, so it’s hard to recommend any. But if you watch anything really special at the fest, please let me know!
Here are the Arab films at this year’s festival: FOR LIFE, FROM GAZA WITH LOVE, BOOMERANG ATOMIC, AWAKE, GAZA FRIENDS CLUB, EPHEMERAL RIVER, ANOTHER DAY SHALL COME, MAYBE TOMORROW, and OF YOUR TENDERNESS. Learn more in the calendar.
I’ve also previously recommended WHO KILLED ALEX ODEH and THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS both of which have screenings this month.
Otherwise, please find some other recommendations of films to catch in NYC this month.
Still from Agora
Agora (2024) dir. Ala Eddine Slim
In a remote Tunisian town, people who were previously thought to be missing make a sudden return, causing growing tensions within the families, community, and local police. As a result, local police inspector Fathi, with the help of his doctor friend Amine, tries to understand the enigmatic and bizarre circumstances that led to their initial disappearance and unexpected return. As the investigation deepens, a police inspector from the capital, Omar, arrives to solve the mystery. Will Omar’s arrival bring understanding or further complicate matters?
This is the latest installment of the Cinema Arabiyya screening series, and the first time we’re showing work by a filmmaker already showcased in the series! If you enjoyed TLAMESS, make sure not to miss Ala Eddine Slim’s newest film. Similar to this pervious work, the film is slow, eerie and surreal but this time it follows a bit more of a clear plot with a clear point that is critical of Tunisia’s government and police force. I’m so excited to see this again with all of you!
This film screenings November 18 at Nitehawk Cinema - Prospect Park. Proceeds from this screening benefit The Sameer Project. To make an additional $10 donation, select the “Event + Donation” ticket at checkout.
Still from Bouchra
Bouchra (2025) dir. Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani
Wrestling with writer’s block for her first film, Bouchra, a queer Moroccan jackal living in NYC, starts having difficult yet overdue phone calls with her mother in Casablanca that begin influencing the project. Balancing the precarity of working as an artist in New York, the rift in her identity between her two homes and an array of friendships and romantic interests, Bouchra’s emotional reckoning with her mother and herself becomes her path to expression.
A very unique film to Arab cinema. A queer diaspora story told through anthropomorphized animals in a unique animated style. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s definitely something you should check out!
BOUCHRA will screen on November 18 at Cobble Hill Cinemas, presented by The Friendly Strangers Studios alongside the short film BUCKSKIN. Proceeds from the event will benefit Ghassan Abu Sittah Children’s Fund in Lebanon.
It will also screen on November 27 at MoMA as part of their The Contenders 2026 series.
