This course aims to introduce students to major trends in contemporary Middle Eastern cinemas. Organized thematically rather than geographically, the class encourages students to map cultural ties among the countries that constitute a region defined too often by its conflict. Together we will examine the representation of politics, religion, social structures, and war by films that can be classified as documentary, comedy, drama, and experimental. Our goal is to distill important cultural information about the peoples of the Middle East. Recognizing both these thematic links and the reality of multi-country production, we will also attempt to compound our understanding of national and transnational cinema. Do national cinemas exist in the Middle East? How do we make sense of the overwhelming success of Middle Eastern productions on the western film festival circuit and how do those films relate to films intended for local audiences?