10 important films that demonstrate how the Middle East is portrayed in cinema by talented homegrown film-makers and western directors alike.

The Middle East is home to a cinema of drama, diversity, beauty and horror, but film-makers can be hamstrung by government bureaucracy, political/religious ideologies and a lack of funding opportunities. Strict Iranian censorship laws, for instance, prevent film-makers from even depicting a man and a woman holding hands, leading to a number of Iranian films being banned in their own country.

Cinema is still a thriving industry in the Middle East, with well attended festivals such as the International Istanbul Film Festival (annually during April) and the Middle East International Film Festival (annually in October) attracting big name stars and prestigious films. When it comes to homegrown talent, the worldwide impact of Middle Eastern films is limited. Certain films are beginning to permeate a global consciousness, but the foot in the door for Western audiences remains in the hands of intelligent American and European film-makers/actors such as David Lean, Michael Winterbottom and George Clooney - hence their inclusion on this list of important films.

1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Dir: David Lean

Lean's epic, considered a masterpiece by many, effectively presents the complexities of a man and a country embroiled in war. This film is based on the exploits of World War 1 British officer T. E. Lawrence, who helped organize and unite the Arabs into a formidable guerrilla army, to fight against the Turks. Lawrence finds himself pulled in different directions, committed to both British and Arabian comrades. The film also articulates Lawrence's emotional suffering from the trauma of violence witnessed and performed.

2. Syriana (2005) Dir: Stephen Gaghan

George Clooney stars in this intelligent thriller as a CIA agent caught up in the power struggles engendered by oil. By interweaving disparate strands of story, the film chillingly portrays how the corruption rife in the oil industry can lead to the radicalization of young men in the Middle East.

3. Three Kings (1999) Dir: David O. Russell

Set in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf war, what starts out as a treasure hunt becomes an insightful drama. The everyman American soldiers, led by Major Archie Gates (George Clooney, again), are our window into the world of ordinary Iraqi citizens, encouraged to rise up against Saddam Hussain and then deserted in their hour of need.

4. In This World (2002) Dir: Michael Winterbottom

The reality of people smuggling is evoked in this film about two Afghan boys trying to escape to Britain. This moving, humanist film is sometimes painful, sometimes beautiful, always unerringly truthful.

5. The Cow (1969) Dir: Dariush Mehrjui

A masterful portrayal of the fallibility of human kindness, this black and white film tells a simple of story in such a moving way that the need for subtitles is negligible. Hassan dotes on his cow, the only one in the village, and is devastated when it disappears. This causes him to descend into a disturbing mental downward spiral.

6. Children of Heaven (1997) Dir: Majid Majidi

Iranian director Majidi's naturalistic portrayal of a poverty stricken family draws parallels with De Sica's Bicycle Thieves. The sensitive depiction of two children forced to share a pair of shoes is heart-breaking and unexpectedly dramatic.

7. Color of Paradise (1999) Dir: Majid Majidi

In many ways a companion piece to Children of Heaven, Color of Paradise is another emotionally heart wrenching film about a little blind boy whose father finds looking after him a bind.

8. Osama (2003) Dir: Siddiq Barmak

The story of a young Afghan girl and her mother living life under the intolerable conditions enforced by the Taliban regime. Unable even to leave the house without a male companion, the mother decides to cut her daughter's hair and dress her as a boy so she can get a job.

9. Persepolis (2007) Dirs: Vincent Parronaud and Marjane Satrapi

This France/USA production is a poignant, mature animation about a young Iranian girl whose childhood is encroached upon by conflicting politics and war. Simple but immensely powerful.

10. Taste of Cherry (1997) Dir: Abbas Kiarostami

Kiarostami is a renowned Iranian film-maker who counts Jean-Luc Godard and Martin Scorsese amongst his admirers. This highly stylized, poetic film reflects on life and oppression through the story of a world weary old man on a quest for help with his intended suicide.