Arab Sci-Fi Films Reinventing The Middle East

When we think of sci-fi, we can’t help but remember Storm Troopers marching in Star Wars or Tom Hanks sweating while riding on the USS Iwo Jima in Apollo 13. Yet, you wouldn’t find yourself thinking of scenes from Arab sci-fi films. They are not that common. However, that is about to change. We were able to find a cool collection of sci-fi films made by Arabs that re-invent the social, political, and physical spaces of the Middle East.

Scales (2019)

Saudi Shahd Amin’s first sci-fi film is all about symbols. Depicted in black and white to represent a world that is barren and has no color because the society in the film is one that forces women to undertake a forced path. Depicting girls of a young age who are forced to marry, the film kicks off in a village where society has to obey a tradition wherein one young girl from each residing family is given as an offering to sea creatures.

The film’s main character, Hayat, was lucky to evade this fate with the help of her father. Yet, this led her to become the village outcast. She had to fight and give herself a voice in the village despite their opposition to her defiance of their tradition.

Ouroboros (2017)

Basma Alsharif, a Palestinian artist, made her first feature drama sci-fi film debut with “Ouroboros.” After visiting Palestine in 2012, Alsharif was disappointed in seeing how Palestinians reached the point wherein they adapt quicker to wars and destruction, as though they are able to forget these occurrences and move on. This is because of how much it is becoming the norm. She was also disappointed at how even the rest of the world is disconnected from the ongoings and pain of Palestine.

To portray that cyclical nature of forgetting and then going through the pain again, she created “Ouroboros.” The name literally translates to a snake that bites its own tail and that is how the entire film is structured. The main character is a man who travels through different locations, to find love. Once they find it, they lose it and then search for it again in a new place. It’s a homage to how Palestinians also undergo the same cyclical nature of destruction followed by renewal and strength. It’s a beautiful piece that rewrites that struggle through visual means.

Nation Estate (2012)

Imagine one entire country and its citizens represented by a towering skyscraper. That is the idea behind Palestinian Larissa Sansour’s 9-minute short sci-fi film. Palestine is envisioned as a tall skyscraper with each floor representing one of its many diverse cities. You’ll find Jerusalem on the 3rd floor while Ramallah will be on the fourth.

Rather than its current restricted movement through the complex inner city checkpoints, people would travel from city to city with ease using the elevator. Within each city, the residents would also have access to its most common landmarks. This new take showcases Palestine in a new light, giving its citizens not only freedom of movement yet also super quick access to their entire country. The film is part of a trilogy made by Sansour that explores themes of belonging and national identity.

Aeirals (2016)

Picked up by Netflix, this sci-fi drama film, directed by Emirati, S.A. Zaidi showcases the city of Dubai in a very new light. In the sky, above the skyscrapers, the residents of Dubai are baffled by an alien ship hovering over their city. That is the main premise of Zaidi’s film. It’s also a drama that explores the difficulties of an interracial relationship between an Emirati man, Omar, and his Western wife as they are holed up in their house during the alien invasion.

With the film’s producers Ghanem and Zaidi pairing up to create the production house called Fat Brothers Film, their film “Aeirals” is actually self-funded. It is important to note that the film did receive quite negative reviews including a one-star rating on IMDB, it can however be commended for an out of the box sci-fi experience.

Submarine (2016)

Inspired by the 2015 garbage crisis in Lebanon when residents had to evacuate the city, Lebanese director Mounia Akl’s short sci-fi drama brings back that crisis onto the TV screen. Scenes depict Lebanon’s streets covered in garbage while residents gather together to plan out an evacuation. Yet, one character, by the name of Hala, resists. She does not want to leave and is the only character who does not pack her bag nor her mementos. She clings to the remaining remnants of her home.

To showcase the heaviness of the departure of all the residents from their homes, Akl had the most striking scene of the film set within a bar called Submarine. At that bar, all the residents including Hala gather to spend one last night together. Other than the sombre collectivist feeling of leaving a home behind, the film also portrays a different facet of the garbage crisis through Hala.

She represents the type of person who does not give up on their nation yet in a way that is firm, rebellious, and individualistic. It may appeal to audiences who have that same drive and passion for their country and showcase what that kind of spirit can do.

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