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Companion Encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Film
Books: Text Books: African and Middle Eastern: Item 3
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Companion Encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Filmby Oliver Leaman
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From Library Journal
Edited by Leaman (philosophy, Univ. of Kentucky), this welcome addition to film reference is divided into nine chapters covering countries throughout North Africa and the Middle East, including Central Asia (the former Soviet republics), Egypt, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, The Maghreb, Palestine, and Turkey. Each chapter is written by a specialist in a particular region and gives the history and major issues of its filmmaking, biographical information on leading directors and actors, and annotated filmographies of significant works. Information varies widely from chapter to chapter, with some detailing audience size and distribution and others focusing on themes. Chapter length also varies significantly, dependent upon the strength of the nation's film industry (e.g., the chapter on Israel's cinema runs 140 pages, while that on Palestine's runs only 15). The transliteration of names and titles is irregular, but this should pose little trouble to most readers. Each chapter concludes with a brief bibliography, and short name, film, and general indexes make up the end matter. Sixty black-and-white photos from select films are also included. This is a useful addition to the growing library on non-Western cinema, which includes Sharon Russell's Guide to African Cinema (Greenwood, 1998), Lizbeth Malkmus and Roy Armes's Arab and African Film Making (o.p.), and Viola Shafik's Arab Cinema (American University in Cairo, 1998). Highly recommended for all libraries supporting film studies. Anthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ., TX
Copyright 2001 Reed business Information, Inc.
Product Review
A unique reference source [that] focuses on a neglected body of non-western film in a serious, scholarly fashion. The Companion encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Film does film students a real service. It pulls together information on a diverse but geographically related body of filmmaking and makes it accessible in one well-organized volume. Academic libraries serious about supporting film study programs will want it in their collections.
–Against the Grain, June 2002
The text is enhanced by stills, easy-to-read typeface, sturdy binding, and helpful indexing. This work brings together material unavailable elsewhere in one place, much of it hitherto unavailable in English.[It] has no English-language rivals, and hence will be essential for any library wanting up-to-date, thoughtful coverage of cinema in the Middle and North Africa. General and academic readers, lower-division undergraduate through faculty..
–Choice, March 2002
As it pretty much goes without saying, the Companion encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Filmis nothing if not timely. It's also impressively comprehensiveand well researched, covering not only the well-trodden terrain of Iran and Egypt but, reading like the New York Times these days, also central Asia, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, the Maghreb, Palestine, and Turkey.
–Film Comment, January/February 2002
This is a useful addition to the growing library on non-Western cinemahighly recommended for all libraries supporting film studies.
–Library Journal, November 2001
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