There are some movies that have gained an overwhelming wave of acclaim throughout the years of cinema history.
And contrary to popular belief, the Arab world is home to a surprising amount of them.
From love affairs to tales of wars and torn families, the Arab region bears endless stories to tell the rest of the world.
Here are five Arab movies worth watching:
1. Last Men in Aleppo (2017)
Written and directed by Fares Fayyad, Last Men In Aleppo won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Instead of debating whether politics and corruption had a hand in the war riddling the city, Last Men In Aleppo focuses on the endeavors of the "White Helmets" as they scour the city for innocents in need of rescue.
"You should — you must — see Last Men in Aleppo to witness an ongoing tragedy. But you should also see it to learn humility." -David Edelstein, Vulture.
2. 5 Broken Cameras (2012)
5 Broken Cameras, guided by the honest camera work of Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, tells the heart-wrenching story of a regular family trying to live in the West Bank amid the brutal reality of the occupation.
The danger faced in the creation of this movie is clearly shown in the title, as the directors lost five cameras to capture the entire documentary.
5 Broken Cameras took the prize for best documentary at the International Emmy Awards in 2013. It also received several nominations, including an Oscar nomination for best documentary.
3. 12 Angry Lebanese (2009)
12 Angry Lebanese won Director/Writer Zeina Daccache a Muhr Arab Award and a People's Choice Award at the Dubai Film Festival.
In this documentary, Daccache directs a play based on '12 Angry Men,' and performed by prison inmates from the notorious Roumieh prison complex. Throughout the process, she is able to capture the humanity of the prisoners.
4. Losing Ahmad (2006)
Writer and Director Abdullah Boushahri won Best Documentary in the Gulf at the Emirates Film Competition for his work on Losing Ahmad.
This film brilliantly tells the emotional story of a seven-year-old Baghdadi boy who's taken to New York for medical care after losing his sight and right arm to an American bomb.
5. Omar (2013)
Oscar nominated movie, Omar, garnered 11 wins and 12 nominations at international festivals.
Written and directed by Palestinian Hany Abu-Assad, this movie tells a story of love, politics, and betrayal.
Omar is talked into becoming an Israeli spy and killing his friend, Tarek. Ever since, his love affair with Tarek's sister and high-school student, Nadia, deteriorates.
"Hany Abu-Assad's Oscar-nominated Omar has an intensity that many Cold War spy films lack. It is an embroiled story of spy craft and betrayal but this time, the setting isn't Berlin or George Smiley's London." - Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent.