Menu
© 2026 The Couch Critic
Browse 44 movies from Al Jazeera
This feature length investigation by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit exposes Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip through the medium of photos and videos posted online by Israeli soldiers themselves during the year long conflict. The I-Unit has built up a database of thousands of videos, photos and social media posts. Where possible it has identified the posters and those who appear. The material reveals a range of illegal activities, from wanton destruction and looting to the demolition of entire neighbourhoods and murder. The film also tells the story of the war through the eyes of Palestinian journalists, human rights workers and ordinary residents of the Gaza Strip. And it exposes the complicity of Western governments – in particular the use of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus as a base for British surveillance flights over Gaza.
Oct 2024
Jabir, Usama and Uzeir are three young brothers in a Sunni family of shepherds. Since childhood, their father Ibrahim has rigidly trained them in the principles of the Quran and has filled their minds with stories of the Bosnian War.
Apr 2022
A Forever War is a powerful investigation into the war on Gaza, challenging Israel’s response to the Hamas-led attacks in October 2023. Global condemnation of Israel’s war on Gaza recently echoed around the United Nations, where many states continued to label it “genocide”. Yet Israel has largely ignored international opinion, even pressure from the United States. With a ceasefire now on the table just days before the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, this film examines what Australian journalist John Lyons calls “one of the most brutal wars of modern times”. Lyons confronts Israeli political, military and intelligence figures on their motives and asks whether there was no alternative to killing more than 66,000 Palestinians, including over 20,000 children. A current cabinet member, a former foreign minister, and ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak argue Israel’s actions are self-defence.
Mar 2024
As going through an economic vortex, Greece is experiencing condition in post-war history. Homeless people, unemployment, poverty, violent conflicts and the rise of the extreme-right are found all over the county. Is there any possible way to break through the crisis? This film follows development of the crisis and its impact on people’s lives, as well as rise of fascism, while seeking answers from interested parties.
Jan 2015
While much of the world struggles to keep the planet going, a frighteningly large group of American fundamentalist Christians are working to promote the apocalypse. The evangelical movement is convinced that they will be saved when Jesus appears in the state of Israel on horseback and, with a sword raised to heaven, kills the infidels so that the blood reaches the horses’ bridles. Natural fires, corona, wars and crises are evidence that the time is nigh. But for the prophecies to be realized, the state of Israel has to grow stronger, so they provide huge financial support and are so far inside the White House that they help influence US foreign policy.
Mar 2023
We gain rare access inside the Jenin Battalion, a new Palestinian armed group that’s formed to fight back against Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank. Fighter Abu Aseel, not his real name, takes us through Jenin and shows us how the brigade is training and preparing to defend the city for the next time the Israeli army enters. Like many young men in the impoverished refugee camp, Abu Aseel feels he was compelled to take up arms, driven by witnessing decades of violence and oppression against his community. Israel’s new far-right government has accompanied a surge in violence with near-daily military raids across the occupied West Bank.
An in-depth look at the work and views of the man described as 'one of the greatest minds in human history'. He first emerged through his pioneering work in linguistics in the 1950s but later became a political activist and a critic of US foreign policy in Vietnam, its neo-liberal capitalism, and mainstream media. Consisting primarily of interviews with Chomsky and other writers, academics, philosophers, social commentators and broadcasters, this film explores the breadth, originality and importance of his work; and the alternative narratives he has advanced at some of the most critical periods in recent history.
Oct 2015
With a ceasefire now on the table just days before the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, this film examines what Australian journalist John Lyons calls “one of the most brutal wars of modern times”. Lyons confronts Israeli political, military and intelligence figures on their motives and asks whether there was no alternative to killing more than 66,000 Palestinians, including over 20,000 children. A current cabinet member, a former foreign minister, and ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak argue Israel’s actions are self-defence.
Oct 2025
Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jabalay is on a month long work trip to Norway when the Egypt/Gaza border closes and he is unable to return home. He details his seven year fight to get back to his family, during which time he made his award-winning film, Ambulance.
Apr 2024
A look at the life and career of the influential post-colonial writer and champion of the Palestinian cause in the West, through interviews with his immediate family and closest friends.
Nov 2018
When the Israeli army invades the Gaza Strip in 2023, Rania is eight months pregnant. She gives birth to triplets just as her hometown in northern Gaza is bombed. One girl dies at birth, while the other two babies, Jowan and her brother Hamoud, are so weak that they have to be placed in an incubator. When the hospital is evacuated, the twins are moved to southern Gaza, where Rania’s sister Nisreen takes over their care. A travel ban prevents the babies from returning to their mother.
Nov 2025
This is a documentary produced for Al Jazeera Documentary by May Shigenobu. May revisits the Japanese leftist activism in the 60s and the 70s, to understand why some Japanese students decided to dedicate their lives to the Palestinian cause by talking to the then leaders and visiting iconic locations of the time. It includes exclusive interviews with some leaders in the students' movements in Japan, Adachi Masao, as well as PFLP leaders such as Layla Khaled and Abu Ahmed Fouad. The documentary also talks about the Japanese Red Army members and their families living underground.
Jan 2012
Syrian teen Hazim literally carries his wounded friend Saaed to Europe, where they become caretakers for German teen Marius—and during ten years, they all gradually learn the meaning of family, the diversity of abilities, and the complexities of who carries whom.
Mar 2026
The Chadian national team is unique in soccer. For decades, it has suffered nothing but defeats, failures, and disappointments. Les SAO (The Giants) have never qualified for an international competition final, whether it be the Africa Cup of Nations or the World Cup. Ballon de sable is the story of two football fanatics, Rapide, a former footballer and current coach, and Ezai, a midfielder for the Chadian national team. The film brings to life their deep emotions, frustrations, and shattered dreams.
Apr 2021
Soumaya grew up in Barcelona, and the emotional distance between her and her mother, who is originally from Algeria, often feels vast. That tension is evident in their somewhat prickly conversation about praying and Ramadan. Things shift, however, when Soumaya decides to visit her grandmother in Algeria.
Sang is one of 300.000 children left behind by American soldiers after the Vietnam War, born to Vietnamese woman. When he unexpectedly finds his father in the U.S., he wants to meet him, even though it comes at a price of leaving his beloved family. Cultural barriers and unspoken pain collide when the past catches up with the present.
Apr 2026
A French nurse and an Italian photographer devote their lives to the Palestinian cause but make the ultimate sacrifice. This is a story about two Europeans who devoted their lives to the Palestinian cause and paid the ultimate price.
Jul 2025
May 2014
Every year, a Kurdish family leaves Gaziantep (Anatolia) to work on the land near Ankara. This thankless life of seasonal labor turns upside down when the eldest son falls in love.
Mar 2014
The 'grand marriage' is an age-old institution which has been passed from generation to generation on the islands of Grande Comore, Moheli and Anjouan. It's a symbol of social status on the islands and a must for any self-respecting Comoran, a commitment not even the President of the Republic can avoid embracing.
Apr 2013