Over the past eight years, the war in Syria has spread death, destruction and horror across the country, costing hundreds of thousands of lives and displacing millions. For besieged civilians of Eastern Al Ghouta, hope and safety lie underground inside the subterranean hospital known as the Cave, where pediatrician and managing physician Dr. Amani Ballour and her colleagues Samaher and Dr. Alaa have claimed their right to work as equals alongside their male counterparts, doing their jobs in a way that would be unthinkable in the oppressively patriarchal culture that exists above. Following the women as they contend with daily bombardments, chronic supply shortages and the ever-present threat of chemical attacks, “The Cave” paints a stirring portrait of courage, resilience and female solidarity.

Elia Suleiman escapes from Palestine seeking an alternative homeland, only to find that Palestine is trailing behind him. The promise of a new life turns into a comedy of errors: however far he travels, from Paris to New York, something always reminds him of home. From award-winning director Elia Suleiman, a comic saga exploring identity, nationality and belonging, in which Suleiman asks the fundamental question: where is the place we can truly call home? Through the other-worldly gaze of Suleiman’s persona, we see Palestine within the world and the world within Palestine.

On July 12, 2006, another war breaks out in Lebanon. As he leaves his motherland for the third time in his life to settle elsewhere, director Philippe Aractingi realizes that, like him, his ancestors have been fleeing wars and massacres for four generations. In a fresco where photos, archives and home videos of his children subtly interact, he tells the story of his family’s travels through the Levant, linking History to an intimate diary. Here, his ancestors’ itinerary is confronted by that of Middle Eastern history: the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the French mandate, the creation of Israel, Pan-Arabism, the Lebanese civil war and beyond. His exploration leads him to the universal questions: Can one find peace in exile? Should we unshackle ourselves from our heritage to be free?

A man steals a big bag of money and escapes into the hills with the police hot on his trail. Before he is arrested, he digs a grave to bury the cash and disguises it as a modest tomb. Years Later, Amine is released from prison and sets off to find his money. In the meantime, a religious shrine has been built directly over the place he buried his cash. The mausoleum honors and unknown saint from the region whose tomb was recently discovered. Down the hill from the resting place of the “The Unknown Saint”, a new village subsists on the pilgrims who travel from far and wide to visit the mausoleum. Amine settles into the village and begins plotting a way in.

It’s 2006 and Baghdad is ravaged by sectarian violence. Haifa Street is the epicentre of the conflict, with masked gunmen and snipers reigning down terror for reasons and political allegiances that are unclear. When Ahmed gets dropped off there by taxi on his way to his beloved Suad’s house to ask for her hand in marriage, he gets shot by Salam, an anxious young sniper who’s living his own personal hell on a rooftop above. Suad desperately tries to save Ahmed, but Salam prevents anyone from approaching him under the threat of gunfire. When her daughter Nadia elicits the help of their cunning neighbour Dalal, all hell breaks loose under the ominous presence of the American occupation.