
A New Day in Old Sana‘a
Bader Ben Hirsi, dir.
2005, Yemen, 86’. Arabic with English subtitles. cd Universe, $18.49 (www.cduniverse.com) Arab Film Distribution, $400 institutional use (www.arabfilm.com).
Yemen’s first feature film is a light-hearted yet message-laden tale of the struggle between true love and tradition. We get to be insiders in women’s spaces and conversations, filmed among the walled gardens, narrow alleyways and latticed tower homes of the old city. The narrator, an Italian photographer, provides a framework for the tale of a stolen wedding dress, a girl dancing alone at night on a dark street and the bumbling police officers who try to solve the crime.
You may also be interested in...

The Legacy of Egyptologist George Reisner—Our Book Review
When George Reisner died in 1942, he did so surrounded by ghosts—not just the pharaohs he’d unearthed but the stacks of unpublished notes that entombed his legacy.
Novel Reimagines 1001 Nights With a Feminine Take
Jamila Ahmed takes on classic folktales with a newfound feminine perspective in historical fiction novel.