1. DIVINE MYSTICS: ANOTHER SIDE OF ISLAM
A documentary on sufism
2. The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc)
A classic of the silent age, this film tells the story of the doomed but ultimately canonized 15th-century teenage warrior. On trial for claiming she'd spoken to God, Jeanne d'Arc is subjected to inhumane treatment and scare tactics at the hands of church court officials. Initially bullied into changing her story, Jeanne eventually opts for what she sees as the truth. Her punishment, a famously brutal execution, earns her perpetual martyrdom.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
3. A Message from the East
The story of Muhammad Iqbal, a turn of the century poet/philosopher from South Asia. Through Iqbal's work we open a dialog between the East and West, refute the notion of a class of civilizations and discover our shared humanity.
4. The Builders of the Alhambra (Los constructores de la Alhambra)
Kingdom of Granada, al-Andalus, 14th century. After recognizing that his land, always under siege, is hopelessly doomed to be conquered, Sultan Yusuf I undertakes the construction of a magnificent fortress with the purpose of turning it into the landmark of his civilization and his history, a glorious monument that will survive the oblivion of the coming centuries: the Alhambra.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
5. Der Jungfrauenwahn (Der Jungfrauenwahn)
For young Muslims who live in a free society, how is the culture of origin of the parents compatible with their own wishes? What significance does the commandment of virginity have?
6. Brother Sun, Sister Moon (Fratello sole, sorella luna)
In his delirium from his return from war, Francesco Bernardone goes back in his memories to the days when he lived for parties and carnal pleasures. He slowly recovers, but after the illness he is no longer the Francesco that everybody knew. Instead of spending hours in taverns, he meditates on the beauty of God's creatures, soon renouncing his riches and his family with plans to rebuild an abandoned church and his life.
It has an average vote of 6.983 on TMDB.
7. 3 Days of Terror: The Charlie Hebdo Attacks (Charlie Hebdo : Trois Jours de terreur)
In November 2015, when gunmen attacked Paris, France declared war on the Islamic State. But that war - and France's 'year of terror' - began a year ago with the attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. With unprecedented access to the French authorities and previously unseen footage, five-time Bafta-winning director Dan Reed reveals the untold story of the massacre and of the first Islamic State strike in Paris at a kosher grocery store. Key witnesses, police officers and survivors - many speaking for the first time - piece together the dramatic attacks and the unprecedented manhunt that gripped the world for three extraordinary and terrifying days.
It has an average vote of 9 on TMDB.
8. Malcolm X
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
It has an average vote of 7.533 on TMDB.
9. Stand
Raw and unflinching examination of the courageous life of basketball star and social justice activist Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Born Chris Jackson, he overcame tremendous adversity to reach the NBA and found his true calling when he converted to Islam. His decision not to stand for the national anthem, however, turned him from prodigy to pariah. Told candidly by Abdul-Rauf himself more than 20 years later it’s the remarkable story of one man who kept the faith and paved the way for a social justice movement.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
10. Rumi: Poet of the Heart
In 1244, Jelaluddin Rumi, a Sufi scholar in Konya, Turkey, met an itinerant dervish, Shams of Tabriz. A powerful friendship ensued. When Shams died, the grieving Rumi gripped a pole in his garden, and turning round it, began reciting imagistic poetry about inner life and love of God. After Rumi's death, his son founded the Mevlevi Sufi order, the whirling dervishes. Lovers of Rumi's poems comment on their power and meaning, including religious historian Huston Smith, writer Simone Fattal, poet Robery Bly, and Coleman Barks, who reworks literal translations of Rumi into poetic English. Musicians accompany Barks and Bly as they recite their versions of several of Rumi's ecstatic poems.
11. Francesco (Francesco)
Depicts various periods in the life of Saint Francesco: Youth and the first conversion in 1206, the process that inflicts his father, the birth of the historical nucleus of Fraternitas and the departure for the Holy Land up to the writing of rules and death, addressing the problem of the legacy of his message in the different interpretation that Chiara and Elia will give it.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
12. Sunseed
This documentary explores the growing American interest in the 1970s in Eastern religions and philosophy. The teachings and lifestyles of ten spiritual teachers and their followers are presented without voice-over narration.
13. Honk If You're Special
Climb aboard the ark as a wacky group of animals embark on an amazing voyage.
It has an average vote of 2 on TMDB.
14. Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West
Obsession is a film about the threat of Radical Islam to Western civilization. Using unique footage from Arab television, it reveals an 'insider's view' of the hatred the Radicals are teaching, their incitement of global jihad, and their goal of world domination.
It has an average vote of 5.1 on TMDB.
15. The Message (الرسالة)
In sixth-century Mecca, Prophet Muhammad receives his first revelation from God as a messenger. Three years later, he's not alone in his quest and publicly declares his prophecy. Muhammad is fought by Abu Sufian and his wife Hind, rulers of Mecca. Muhammad's followers are hunted and tortured but he continues his calling.
It has an average vote of 8.3 on TMDB.
16. Rumi: The Wings of Love
Creened in several international film festivals, as well as the Musée de L’Homme in Paris, this film takes viewers into a secret world rarely seen by outsiders. Nearly eight centuries after his death, Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Sufi master and mystical poet, is ever-present in the whirling ceremony of today’s Mevlevi dervishes. The Halveti zikr, Mevlevi semas, and the Gharib, or secret, sema-not seen for over 100 years-were filmed in Cairo, Istanbul, and the Garden of Rumi in Konya. This unique footage set to Mevlevi music is enhanced by interviews with Sheikh Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din , Islamic philosopher and author Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and Sheikh Omer Tugrel Inancer, who reveals the hidden meaning of the reed flute.
17. The Circles of Remembrance
The Circles of Remembrance is an 82 minute journey into what is usually a hidden world of Sufism. This documentary explores "zikr" ceremonies in Cairo, Istanbul, Morocco, and the U.S., along with interviews with some of the most prominent Sufi scholars and musicians, on the outer and secret meaning of the remembrance of God. Martin Lings, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Gai Eaton, Sheikh Ali Gomma, T.J. Winter,and Tosun Bayrak are among those interviewed.
18. The 99 Names of God
Arab-American filmmaker Yumna Al-Arashi embraces the rhythmic rituals that have run alongside Islamic tradition throughout the centuries in this surreal and poetic short film. Piecing together old and new, Al-Rashi's dream-like imagery breathes fresh air to a subject hardly seen in positive light.
19. Orphaned Land: A Heaven You May Create
Spotlighting 30 years of the Israeli metal band's career, A Heaven You May Create explores not only their immense discography but also the impact they left on the music industry.
20. A Hidden Life
Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter faces the threat of execution for refusing to fight for the Nazis during World War II.
It has an average vote of 7.16 on TMDB.
