One of the best things about the Berlinale, taking place from February 12-22, 2026, is how wide it opens the door. You can move from intimate love stories to poetic street portraits, from tense psychological dramas to moments of pure imagination, sometimes all in the same day.
This curated group of films from the Middle East, spread across several Berlinale sections, shows how cinema can be urgent, playful, reflective, and deeply human all at once. Each film brings its own rhythm and perspective, but all of them invite us to slow down and really pay attention.
Chronicles From the Siege — Directed by: Abdallah Alkhatib
(Palestine)
Chronicles From the Siege stays close to the ground. Instead of grand gestures or heroic narratives, it follows ordinary people trying to get through their days after their city is cut off from the world. Life becomes a series of impossible decisions, small negotiations, and quiet moments of fear or hope.
Screened in the festival’s Perspectives section, the film focuses on the personal, how survival isn’t just about staying alive, but about holding on to dignity, belief, and a sense of self when everything familiar starts to collapse.
Sad Song of Touha — Directed by: Atteyat Al Abnoudy
(Egypt)
This film feels less like a story and more like drifting through a memory. Atteyat Al Abnoudy’s camera wanders the streets of Cairo, lingering on performers, fire-eaters, and figures who seem to exist somewhere between reality and myth.
The voice of poet Abdel Rahman Al Abnoudy weaves through the images, giving the film a musical, almost hypnotic quality. Shown in Forum Expanded, it’s the kind of film that asks you to feel your way through it.
Only Rebels Win — Directed by: Danielle Arbid
( Lebanon)
At its heart, Only Rebels Win is about two people who probably shouldn’t meet and then do. Osmane, a young Sudanese man navigating life without official papers, is searching for a chance at a better future, while Suzanne, a widow with Palestinian roots, is more than twice his age. They cross paths in Beirut and their connection is unexpected.
Screened in the Panorama section, the film treats their relationship with care, focusing less on drama and more on the quiet ways people lean on each other when nothing feels stable. It’s a love story that grows slowly, almost by accident.
Safe Exit — Directed by: Mohammed Hammad
(Egypt)
Safe Exit pulls you into the inner world of Samaan, a young security guard who is carrying far more than he lets on. On the surface, he’s just trying to get through his shifts, but underneath, unresolved trauma from his parents’ murder keep pushing their way back.
Shown in Panorama, the film builds tension through small gestures, silences, and the sense that something is always just below the surface. It’s an intense, focused portrait of someone trying to keep control while quietly coming apart.
The Other Side of the Sun — Directed by: Tawfik Sabouni
(Syria)
This documentary is calm, direct, and deeply focused on listening. Five people return to the prison of Saidnaya, a place tied to painful experiences from their past to tell their stories.
Screened in Panorama Dokumente, the film becomes an act of witnessing — for themselves and for others.
Someday a Child — Directed by: Marie-Rose Osta
(Lebanon)
Yawman ma walad brings a touch of magic into everyday life. A young boy with extraordinary abilities lives with his uncle in a village where the sound of warplanes has become the normal background noise. His uncle wants to protect him by teaching him how to blend in, but the boy’s gift refuses to stay hidden.
Part of Berlinale Shorts, the film is tender and imaginative, using fantasy not as an escape, but as a way of talking about difference, restraint, and the cost of pretending to be “normal.”
Conclusion
Taken together, these films show just how elastic cinema from the Middle East can be. Some whisper, some linger, some gently unsettle but all of them care deeply about the people at their center. Across different countries and sections of the Berlinale, they remind us that films don’t have to shout to leave a mark.
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