07/09/2026
🎬 Exploring the Middle East with World Cinema Club
As part of our Exploring World Cinema series, this month we're looking at films from across the Middle East, with four films from the LibrariesWest collection. Our selection takes us from the Arabian Desert and Saudi Arabia to Beirut and rural Turkey, with stories ranging from a wartime adventure to intimate dramas about family and relationships.
• Theeb
Set in the Arabian Desert during the First World War, this coming-of-age adventure follows a young Bedouin boy caught up in a dangerous journey. A tense and beautifully filmed story about growing up, trust and betrayal.
• Wadjda
A young Saudi girl sets her sights on buying a green bicycle, but first she has to find a way to raise the money herself. A warm and spirited film about determination, independence and the restrictions placed on her everyday life.
• Caramel
Inside a beauty salon in Beirut, the lives of five women become intertwined. A warm, funny and affectionate film about friendship, family, relationships and the everyday lives of the women at its centre.
• Winter Sleep
A retired actor runs a small hotel in rural Turkey, where the arrival of winter brings tensions in his relationships with his wife and sister to the surface. A rich and absorbing drama about marriage, family and the conflicts that can lie beneath the surface of everyday life.
📀 All of these films are available to borrow through LibrariesWest.
💬 If you've seen any of these, or have other films from the Middle East to recommend, we'd love to hear what you've been watching in the comments below.
📅 Next month we'll be taking a break from our regional selections with Festival Favourites, four films from the LibrariesWest collection chosen to celebrate the local film festival season.
🔗 To explore more World Cinema Club recommendations, we'll link our main Welcome Post in the first comment. You can also find previous themed selections by searching on the Dorchester Library page.
– Oli
