Essential Documentaries About the Arab Spring

Filmmakers, journalists and programmers share their top five documentaries about life in the Middle East and North Africa during the Arab Spring.

See their picks and learn why they chose them »

Like its heroes, we are pulled into the conflict with frenzied immediacy as we experience one city, the dreaded rites of passage of two friends, and ultimately an entire nation torn apart by the fog of war.

— Rick Gladstone, The New York Times

Scenes...tap veins of adrenalin which Hollywood blockbusters can only dream of finding...a sober, sobering bulletin of unambiguous intention and undeniable power.

— Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter

An essential, ground-level look at the Syrian civil war, embedded among 'the men of Zeer street' and their charismatic champ, Abdul Basset Saroot.

— Peter Debruge, Variety

For the sake of the people trapped in Homs, it may be time for the world to take a look at Derki's film.

— Eline Gordts, The Huffington Post