YEMEN WEBDATE
 
 
 YEMEN: CAPTURED VISIONS

A FILMOGRAPHY
 Compiled by Thomas B. Stevenson
 
[last updated 3/03] 
 
While Yemen's celebrated architecture and stunning natural beauty continue to captivate film makers, many of the new entries in the filmography focus on archaeological discoveries or the natural wonders of newly "discovered" island of Socotra. Since the second edition, Visions of Yemen: A Revised Filmography, was published in January 2001, at least twelve new films have been released. More importantly, in the last two years the number of internet resources has increased dramatically making ferreting out the older films much easier. As a result the number of entries has doubled.
 
As is evident in the British Museum's exhibition, the renewed interest in the legendary Queen of Sheba is reflected in films devoted to analysis of the archaeological evidence for her reign. Following the pattern established by celebrations of ancient Yemen, I have included feature film portrayals of the Solomon and Bilqis saga.
 
In a similar vein, the life of the French adventurer and poet Arthur Rimbaud continues to be the subject of a number of films. Rimbaud maintained a house in Aden for the last third of his life although he was often in Ethiopia. Although his connections to Yemen may be tenuous, owing to the continuing French fascination with his life, some films on Rimbaud's life are included.
 
New to the filmography are videos on the Yemeni Jewish community in Israel. I have only included those films that illustrate how Yemeni culture has been preserved in a new setting. I have listed some archival films on the Jews exodus during Operation Magic Carpet (also known as On Eagles Wings) and two feature films that comment on the difficult adjustment Yemeni Jews faced in their resettlement.
 
When I began this project, I could have imagined it would necessary to note what films I have not listed. The Institut National de l'Audiovisuel now catalogues news broadcasts as well as arts and culture programs. Since Yemen has become the subject of news reports I have had to make some decisions about which of these to include. Older news reports have been included as these offer researchers visual images not ordinarily available. Contemporary images, especially those in brief reports on the USS Cole or supertanker Limburg bombings or the Predator attack on al-Qaeda suspects, do not contribute significant images and so have been excluded.
 
As every bibliographer will attest, it is difficult to insure accuracy. This goal is made especially difficult with films and videos. Producers, directors, and distributors often alter film names. Library cataloguers employ different interpretations of atypical material. Thus, it is not surprising to find the same film listed with different titles, dates, and running times. As I've not seen most of the entries, I've relied on published data. Careful readers of this list will note minor changes in release (publication) dates and lengths. These reflect the most accurate data available. Generally I have used the earliest confirmable production date as this more accurately reflects the time period in which the film was made. Thus researchers interested in how a location looked may use these dates as a guide.
 
The third edition of the filmography includes some new elements. The film descriptions have been expanded. More complete data sources of the videos has been added. In some cases, my sources are WorldCat, the master list of the Online Computer Library Center, or AlloCiné.com, a French listing of many videos. The former indicate which U.S. libraries hold the materials. Because holders and distributors of videos change quickly, these may not always produced the desired results. Users in the United States should also try university audiovisual libraries.
 
As always, only those videos and films for which I have reasonably full information are included in the filmography. That said, I have not seen most of the entries. I have a list of roughly 50 videos for which I am still seeking full data. In sha' Allah, these will make it into the fourth edition.
 
I am certain that there are many videos to be found in European archives. I am working on locating and adding these to this ever expanding list.
 
Finally I wish to thank those interested in visual representations of Yemen and Yemeni culture, including film makers, who have sent me information. Anyone with corrections or information to share may contact me at tstevens@ee.net

 

 
Note: The following list of films is provided as a service for anyone concerned with the scholarly study of Yemen. It is not intended as an endorsement of any specific film by AIYS, its officers or staff.
 
J. Gordon Edwards. 1921. The Queen of Sheba. B&W, silent. Production: Fox Films. Description: The story of the ill-fated romance between Solomon, king of Israel (played by Fritz Lieber), and the Queen of Sheba (played by Betty Blythe). Distributor or other source: (The film is presumed lost).

 

Fritz Weiss. 1927. Reise Nach Arabien. B&W, silent, 1434 ft. Note/Comment: Shows Hodeida and Sana'a. Source/Distributor: HADDON (http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/isca/haddon/HADD_home.html).

 

[Unknown]. 1930 (estimate). [Home movies. Journey from Berlin to India circa 1930]. B&W, silent, 380 ft. Production: [Unknown]. Description: Shows a stop in Aden for coaling. Distributor or other source: WorldCat.
 
William L. Rogers. 1936. The Moslem World; Lands of the Camel. B&W, silent, 10 min. Note/Comment: Shows mosques and buildings in Yemen and Hadhramawt. Source/Distributor: HADDON (http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/isca/haddon/HADD_home.html).
 
Rosie Newman. 1936 (date estimated). Further Glimpses of India. Color, silent, 2000 ft. Note/Comment: Shots of Aden. Source/Distributor: HADDON (http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/isca/haddon/HADD_home.html).
 
Rene Clement (P/D). 1937. L'Arabie Interdit. Color, sound (French, but some reprints have English narration), 25 min. (but there are 50 min. versions). Production: Production C. Fayein. Description: Regarded as the first film made in Yemen. Emphasizes the role of water in the Yemeni life. Follows the route of Jules Barthoux's tour from the Red Sea to Sana'a via Ibb including Hodeida, Mocha, Ta'iz, Jibla, Yarim, and Wadi Dahar. Includes the only known film image of Imam Yahya. Distributor or other source: Centre Français D'Archeologie et de Sciences de Sanaa.
 
Major Cleve. 1937-38. Major Cleve Collection. B&W/color, sound unknown, length unknown. Note/Comment: Shows Aden. Source/Distributor: HADDON (http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/isca/haddon/HADD_home.html).

 

Hans Helfritz. 1938. Wells in the Wadi Hadramaut. B&W, silent, 4 min. Production: RfdU (Berlin). Description: Drawing water with leather water sacks from shallow well; use of draft rope pulled over a wheel, at draw well constructed for irrigation of fields. Filmed in 1935. Supplemental publication by Fritz Gelpke. Distributor or other source: HADDON (www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/isca/haddon/HADD_home.html); Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Hans Helfritz. 1938. Brick Production and Buildings in the Wadi Hadramaut. B&W, silent, 4 min. Production: RfdU (Berlin). Description: Extracting clay from a pit; preparation of clay; shaping bricks in square, wooden frames; drying bricks in sun; shots of buildings with clay tiles. Filmed in 1935. Supplemental publication by Fritz Gelpke. Distributor or other source: HADDON (www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/isca/haddon/HADD_home.html); Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Hans Helfritz. 1938. Sheep Slaughtering and Meal Among the Bedouins in Hadramaut. B&W, silent, 31Ú2 min. Production: RfdU (Berlin). Description: Slaughtering of a ram: sharpening knife; cutting throat; skinning; taking out entrails; preparation of meal; frying on heated stones; preparation of rice and coffee. Filmed in 1935. Supplemental publication by Fritz Gelpke. Distributor or other source: HADDON (www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/isca/haddon/HADD_home.html); Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
[Unknown]. 1947. [Homeward Bound]. B&W, silent, length unknown. Production: NA. Description: Shows Aden. Distributor or other source: HADDON (www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/isca/haddon/HADD_home.html).
 
World Zionist Organization. 1949. [Untitled Footage]. B&W, silent, 15 min. 40 sec. Production: World Zionist Organization. Description: The film shows various images of Operation Magic Carpet including: Yemeni Jews on a plane, a food distribution, people praying, hospital, ruins of a synagogue, destroyed Jewish buildings, Jews carrying a Torah onto a plane, and a Jewish cemetery. Distributor or other source: Steven Spielberg Film Archive (www.spielbergfilmarchive.org.il).
 
[Unknown]. 1949. Rossif Collection. B&W, silent, 9 min. Production: [Unknown]. Description: A visual summary of the first year of the State of Israel that includes images of Yemeni Jews arriving via Operation Magic Carpet. Distributor or other source: Steven Spielberg Film Archive (www.spielbergfilmarchive.org.il).
 
World Zionist Organization. 1949 (?). Airlift of the Jews of Yemen. B&W, silent, 8 min. 52 sec. Production: World Zionist Organization. Description: This film shows various images including: coastline of Aden, people receiving food, children playing, people watching the Jews leave, men leaving the synagogue, men praying, service at the synagogue, remains of the Jewish quarter, cemetery, and an Alaska Airlines plane. Distributor or other source: Steven Spielberg Film Archive (www.spielbergfilmarchive.org.il).
 
William Zimmerman (P) and World Zionist Organization (P). 1950 (video copy dated 1989). Flight to Freedom. B&W and color, sound (English), 14 min. Production: World Zionist Organization. Description: The film shows Jews walking through desert to Aden where they are transported via Operation Magic Carpet to Israel. Also shots of a funeral in the desert, scrolls being loaded on trucks, inoculating immigrants, and boarding the planes. Distributor or other source: Steven Spielberg Film Archive (www.spielbergfilmarchive.org.il).
 
Pietro Francisci. 1952. La Regina di Saba. B&W, sound (Italian), 110 min. Production: Mario Francisci Per Oro Film. Description: Low budget feature film showing the story of Bilqis and Solomon with Leonara Ruffo and Gino Cervi.
 
Nuri Haviv and Eliyahu Koko. 1956. Be'ein Moledet (Lacking a Homeland ). Color, Hebrew (with English subtitles), 94 min. Production: [Unknown]. Description: A feature film on Yemeni Jewish immigration to Israel. Shai Ophir plays the Zionist emissary. Shoshana Damari plays an enslaved orphan. Distributor or other source: Jewish Film Archive (www.jewishfilm.com).
 
Warner-Pathé Labs. 1957. News Magazine of the Screen (Volume 7, No. 7, March 1957). B&W, Sound (English), 22 min. Production: Warner-Pathé Labs. Description: Includes segment of scenes in Yemen.
 
King Vidor. 1959. Solomon and Sheba. Color, sound (English), 142 min. Production: United Artists. Description: This Hollywood biblical epic boasts impressive special effects and colorful sets. It pairs the appropriately exotic Gina Lollobrigida, modeling a series of 24 Dior inspired period costumes, with Yul Brynner as Solomon. Also starring George Sanders, Marisa Pavan, John Crawford, Alejandro Rey, Harry Andrews. Distributor or other source: Amazon (www.amazon.com).
 
Walter Dostal. 1962. Irrigation Cultivation. B&W, silent, 5 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: Use of the most important field construction equipments: the traditional plow, clod hammer, hoe, and leveler. Creation of valley terraces, sowing, harvesting and threshing in Saywun. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1960. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1962. Social Dance of Men and Women. B&W, silent, 3 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: Some women meet at a well. After they fill their water jugs, a woman dances. Several tribesmen watch and clap in time with the rhythm. From time to time another woman dances. The soldiers standing in the circle sing and indicate the rhythm through to hand gossips. Filmed in Hadramawt 1960. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Gurit Kadman (P). 1962. Rikudei Yehudei Teiman (Dances of Yemeni Jews). Color, sound (music only), 19 min. Production: Beth Hatesfutsoth Collection. Description: Filmed by the World Zionist Organization. Shows Yemeni Jews from Habban in the Hadramawt dancing three days after their arrival in their immigrant camp in Israel. Also shows dances of Jews from Sana'a in their resettlement village. Distributor or other source: Steven Spielberg Film Archive (www.spielbergfilmarchive.org.il).
 
Wendell Phillips. 1962. Qataban and Sheba. Color, sound (English), 90 min. Production: . Description: Documentary on the archaeological work of Wendell Phillips in the Ma'rib area. While exploring the ancient spice routes of Southern Arabia the excavations "brought to light" the ancient capital of Timna, the Temple of Ma'rib and the legendary home of Sheba. Distributor or other source: Vintage Power Wagons Inc., 302 South 7th St., Fairfield, IA 52556.
 
Gordian Troeller and Marie-Claude Deffarge. 1963. Jemen, Revolution ohne Sieg (Yemen: Revolution without Victory). B&W, sound (?), 41 min. Description: The film makers joined the royalist soldiers in their search for the missing Imam. They found al-Badr and spent six weeks with the tribes of North Yemen, who were fighting against the young Republic and the allied Egyptian troops. The film makers report from a world where feudalism, theocracy, King, and subjects have lost none of their original meaning.
 
AFI/ John Woods Collection (Library of Congress). 1964. Fox tönende wocheschau (Vol. 47, no. 68). B&W, sound (German), 900 ft. Production: . Description: Includes a segment on the building of the Aswan Dam at which the presidents of Egypt, Iraq, and Yemen are present. Distributor or other source: WorldCat.
 
AFI/ John Woods Collection (Library of Congress). 1964. Fox tönende wocheschau (Vol. 47, no. 91). B&W, sound (German), 900 ft. Production: . Description: Shows a parade in Sana'a on the second anniversary of the revolution. Distributor or other source: WorldCat.
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Making a Coffee Mortar. B&W, silent, 10 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: The turner saws off a chunk of wood as big as the mortar he wants to make. He gives it a conical shape with an adze and hollows it roughly with a chisel. After these preliminary steps, he marks the center of the chunk, fastens the gudgeon (spindle) and fixes the workpiece on a turning-lathe which is driven by means of a bow. He then centers the piece and works at the outer side with a pointed chisel, finishing it with a flat chisel. After this he turns the hollow of the mortar on the lathe. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Forming and Painting a Clay Vessel. Color, silent, 91Ú2 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: The potter forms a ball and a roll out of previously prepared clay. The bottom of the container is formed out of the ball, the sides out of the roll. The potter then adds the handle which he has made out a second roll; he pierces the opposite side with his finger to provide the container with a spout. A day later he takes away the irregularities with a knife and paints geometrical decorations on the moistened container with red earth-colour. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Medical Treatment ("Cauterization"). Color, silent, 21Ú2 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: An iron nail, which has been bent to form a right angle, is heated. In the meantime, the person who applies the treatment lays lumps of date-stuff on the places to be burnt along the cervical vertebra of the patient; he then presses on the red-hot nail. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Making Bricks; Constructing a Wall. Color, silent, 15 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: In a garden, a group of brick-makers dig out a part of the fertile earth to make bricks. Water from an irrigation canal is directed into a ditch where the earth is mixed with clay and chaff. Bricks are made out of this mixture with the help of a wooden frame. After being left to dry for eight hours the bricks are lined up in long rows. Two or three days later they are piled up to be taken away. The building of a wall follows. Near a masonry foundation mortar is made of clay, water and chaff. The mason moistens the foundation and spreads on it a layer of loam. A helper hands him the smoothed clay bricks. The building of the wall is done with plummet and plumb-line. A coating of a mixture of clay and chaff is finally added by hand. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Forming a Clay Waterpipe. Color, silent, 3 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: The potter lays a heap of clay as thick as an arm on a piece of sackcloth, spreads it and gives it a rectangular shape. He presses the clay to the sides and pulls it up in order to form the side walls, he then puts a cylindrical smooth piece of wood in the hollow which he has thus formed and causes the sides to overlap. He smooths the juncture and takes the piece of wood out. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Making a Pin from a Sheet of Iron. B&W, silent, 4 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: Strips about 4 cm wide are cut out of thin sheet-iron and then smoothed on the anvil. Several lozenges are cut out. On a swage (die) one of the iron pieces is bent so that it can be shaped into a spindle on the anvil. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Making a Hook-Shaped Sickle. B&W, silent, 9 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A hot, flat piece of iron is flattened on the anvil to curve one of its points. The blade is marked and a tongue for the shaft is shaped with a small hammer. After cooling, the inner side is indented with a file. In the meantime another man prepares a ring and a piece of wood for the shaft. The tongue is inserted into the shaft and the ring put around to hold the two together. The ring, the tongue and the shaft are bored with a bow-drill and subsequently joined by a nail. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Sawing a Tree Trunk. Color, silent, 7 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: Two men perform the job of sawing the trunk. First, a hemp string prepared with charcoal is moistened and strung in the middle of the tree along the line where the cutting is to be done. A straight black line is drawn on each side of the barkless tree by pulling the string. The trunk is then laid on a two-legged sawing jack and is halved with a single-blade frame-saw. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Making a Pair of Tongs. B&W, silent, 51Ú2 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A strip of sheet-iron about 2 cm wide is cut off and smoothed. The central part of this strip is bent over the round arm of a pair of tongs. The curved part is shaped into a loop on the anvil. The edges are filed and the arms of the tongs given a somewhat convex bent. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Making a Stone Hand Mill. Color, silent, 171Ú2 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A block of stone is cut into rough shape, then finely finished. The grinding surface is roughened, a mortise is punched out with a hammer, and a pivot fitted into it. The stonemason shapes the upper millstone with a handle on the upper side. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Preparation of Clay; Forming an Ibex. Color, silent, 71Ú2 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: Pottery-clay is hacked with a hoe, mixed with water and made lighter with sifted donkey-dung. The potter kneads the clay with his feet, then with his hands. He starts then giving shape to heap of clay and forms the body of an ibex. A lump is given the shape of the head and horns and then joined to the body. At the end the tail and ears are worked out. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Smoking a Waterpipe. B&W, silent, 4 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: Sitting in his house, a man from Tarim 'builds' his water pipe. He flushes the mouthpiece, prepares the tobacco with water and puts in the pipe bowl. With tweezers it puts small glowing pieces of charcoal on the tobacco and puts the bowl on the pipe. After strong sucking on the mouthpiece, he puts his thumb on the mouthpiece while exhaling the smoke. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1964. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Forging a Hoe Blade (Traditional Method). Color, silent, 10 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: An iron-bar is heated, then lengthened, and finally widened in the middle. The workpiece is bent together, the widened middle is worked on a piece of bar-iron to make a loop, and the edges, which are now next to one another, are strongly heated and welded to form a blade. The eye is given its final shape and the blade is polished. The cutting edge is sharpened with a file after it has cooled. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Making an Ornamental Nail. B&W, silent, 81Ú2 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A square and a rectangular piece of sheet-iron are needed to make a stud; these are cut out with scissors. The pin is made out of the rolled rectangle. For the head, a circle is cut out of the square and beaten into a convex shape on a hollow anvil. The head and one end of the pin are heated, then soldered with a mixture of zinc and lead; after it has cooled off, the nail is smoothed, then dipped in liquid lead and polished. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Blasting a Block of Stone. Color, silent, 41Ú2 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A hollow is chiseled into a block of limestone. The stonemason fills gunpowder, which has been previously mixed with water, and rams it down with a round iron bar. With regular movements he turns a pointed iron in the hollow in order to make a hole for the quick match. The hollow is sealed with clay, the quick match inserted and lit. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Making a Window. Color, silent, 29 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: The joiner cuts four pieces of wood of two different lengths with the help of a dovetail-saw, an adze and a plane, and joins them by means of a mortise and tenon to form a window-frame. He adds a ledge and a board to the window-frame for decorative purposes. He bores holes with a bow-drill into the junctures of the frame and knocks nails through them. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Making a Leather Water Bucket. Color, silent, 101Ú2 min Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A sheepskin is soaked in water and softened. It is searched for holes. The holes are covered on both sides with skin bits and then sewn with a thin leather strip. After patching all the holes, the back opening of the water sack is sewn. The shoemaker halves the legs, twists them together and makes a handle in front and one behind. The water sack is finished by rounding the neck opening. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Forming a Clay Censer. Color, silent, 6 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A heap of clay is given a roughly quadrangular shape. Then the sides are made concave on a container which serves as support. The censer is given the final touches on a clay disc. A handle is attached. A toothed wheel is used to decorate the outer surface of the censer with geometrical patterns: the decoration of the handle is done with a needle. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Making a Funnel. B&W, silent, 171Ú2 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A tin-can is cut into pieces, which are smoothed. The smith lays a pattern on a piece of tin, scratches the outline of the funnel and cuts it out. It is then bent over and welded. After this the pieces for the pipe, the handle and the upper edge are cut out. Pipe and rim are welded. The weldings are soldered and put together, a fine sifting-web is placed on the top end of the pipe. Finally the pipe, funnel, rim and handle are soldered together. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Hewing and Inscribing a Tombstone. Color, silent, 7 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A rectangular red sandstone is hewn with an axe, the part which is to bear the inscription is smoothed with a limestone. With an iron needle, the stonemason engraves first the lines for the writing, then the inscription itself, which he copies from a text. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Hewing Pillar Drums; Raising of a Pillar. Color, silent, 91Ú2 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A drum for a column about 30 cm in height is first rough-hewn, then trimmed. Mortar is prepared by mixing clay, water and chaff. A hole for a column is dug out and coated with clay. The stonemason builds a column out of several drums, joining them with the mortar which he has prepared. The column is plastered with clay and painted with slaked lime. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1967. Forging a Hatchet Blade. B&W, silent, 7 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A piece of thick sheet-iron is heated and bent in angular form. One side is hammered on a piece of bar-iron to make a loop. The hatchet blade is smoothed after redundant iron has been knocked off. After the cooling the blade is sharpened with a file. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Gordian Troeller and Marie-Claude Deffarge. 1967. Im belagerten Sanaa (The Siege of Sanaa). B&W, ?, ?. Description: In 1967 President Nasser of Egypt withdrew his support for the Yemen Arab Republic, and ordered his troops home. The Royalists, thinking their hour of victory had come, laid siege to the city of Sana'a and mounted an attack. However, within the besieged town citizens organized themselves into militias. Arms were being supplied by the People's Republic of China. The attack was warded off. The film shows the defense of besieged Sana'a.
 
Walter Dostal. 1968. Silver Workmanship. B&W, silent, 44 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A silversmith smelts silver and casts it into small bars, which he draws into wire or hammers into sheets. He ornaments individual decorative pieces by turning or chasing. With homemade welding material, he molds, solders and decorates jewelry, a belt-buckle, a spherical ornament, a link-chain, a small bell and a stone-setting. Filmed in Hadhramawt in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).
 
Walter Dostal. 1968. Forging a Hoe Blade (Modern Method). Color, silent, 101Ú2 min. Production: IWF (Göttingen). Description: A heated piece of sheet-iron, about 5 mm thick, is bent in angular shape. One of the sides is twice folded, heated, and pierced with a pointed piece of iron. The hoe-blade is smoothed, After cooling the cutting edge is sharpened with a file. Filmed in Tarim, Hadhramawt, in 1966. Distributor or other source: Encyclopaedia Cinematographica at Institut fur den Wissenchaftlichen (www.iwf.de).

Joseph Chelhod. 1969. Au pays de la reine de Saba. Color, sound (French), 23 min. Production: CNRS AV (SERDDAV). Description: A visual visit to the Arab Republic of Yemen. The film shows Sana'a and Ta'iz and some images of Wadi Dahar, Amran, Khamir, Zafar, Sader Faz and Jibla. One focus is the unique architecture of houses, religious buildings (minarets and mosques), and castles and fortresses. The camera also reveals the markets, the everyday life of the inhabitants, their craft activities like dyeing and tanning. In a village the travelers are welcomed with demonstrations of folk and warlike dances. Distributor or other source: Centre national de la recherche scientifique (www.cnrs.fr/diffusion).

 
Gordian Troeller and Marie-Claude Deffarge. 1970. Das Mittelalter will nacht Sterben (Medievalism Dies Hard). ?, ?, 30 min. Description: The civil war in Yemen was over and the Republic had been established. Saudi Arabia, however, continued to support the royalist tribes. To prevent these tribes from taking up arms again, a round-table conference was convened in Khamir. Representatives from all the Yemeni political groups attended this historic meeting, which was of tremendous importance for the future of the country.
 
Gordian Troeller and Marie-Claude Deffarge. 1970. Juden im Nordjemen (Jews in North Yemen). ?, ?, 15 min. Description: In the tribal areas, the Jews had the choice of emigrating to Israel or staying on in Yemen. Most of them preferred to stay, much to the delight of the Yemeni tribes, because the Jews were their most important partners in trade. The film makers argue that talk of maltreatment and exploitation is hugely exaggerated.
 
Pier Paolo Pasolini (D) and Franco Rosselini (P). 1970-71. Le Mura di Sana'a (The Walls of Sana'a). Color, sound (Italian), 13 min. Production: Franco Rosselini. Description: Profile of the old city of Sana'a. Focuses on the tearing down of the walls. Made for UNESCO. Distributor or other source: .
 
Gordian Troeller and Marie-Claude Deffarge. 1972. Südjemen, das Kuba der Arabischen Welt (South Yemen, The Cuba of the Arab World; possibly as Yémen Sud: révolution dans la révolution). ?, ?, 52 min. Description: The film shows how land reforms were implemented and describes the effort to find an economically self-supporting and politically independent system. Later, South Yemen came totally under the control of the Soviet Union. The German Democratic Republic was in charge of the political police and the dream of an independent revolution evaporated - as it did in Cuba.
 
Marilyn E. Perry. 1972 n.d. (early 1970s). Yemen Arab Republic. Color, sound (English), 28 min. Production: International Byline. Description: Interview with Ahmad al-Haddad, Yemen's Ambassador to the United Nations. Distributor or other source: .
 
Raymond Depardon. 1973. Yémen. ?, ?, 19 min. Production: . Description: The film maker finds in Yemen a country torn between two regimes and two societies - the north, military man and feudal and the south, democratic and progressive - but with the hope to be unified. Distributor or other source: AlloCiné.com (www.allocine.fr).
 
Robert Manthoulis. 1973. Le Yemen: Du Haut de L'Arabie. Color, sound (Arabic), 52 min. Production: YGREC Prod, Inc., Paris. Description: Primarily shows scenes of Sana'a and far northern villages with focus on aspects of life, often with local musicians.
 
Gordian Troeller and Marie-Claude Deffarge. 1973. Communists Since the Year 1000 (Communistes depuis mille ans; Kommunistes seit 1000 jahren) (also Communists for a Thousand Years). Color, sound (English and French versions), 44 min. Production: Filmtech. Description: Shows the Karmathian sect of South Yemen. Between the 9th and 12th centuries these "original" communists secretly organized themselves throughout the entire Arab world. The last of the Karmathian People's Republics destroyed by Islamic invaders was in South Yemen. There many Karmathians escaped to the mountains, where they mingled with the tribes. They kept their political convictions undercover and have remained true to them till today. Their lifestyle includes collective living, communal land ownership, full equality for women, and social justice. The film makers met the descendants of the Karmathians in Upper Yaffa, an almost inaccessible plateau that no foreign invader had been able to conquer. Distributor or other source: First Run/Icarus Films (www.frif.com).
 
Pier Paolo Pasolini. 1973/1974. Il fiore delle Mille e una notte (also Arabian Nights and One Thousand and One Nights). Color, sound (Italian with English subtitles), 128 min. Production: PEA (Roma); Les Productions Artistes Associés (Parigi). Description: This is considered Pasolini's most stunning accomplishment. The final film in his Trilogy of Life, Arabian Nights is a carnal comic tale following the adventures of a slave girl, Pelligrini, as she rises to power. Pasolini weaves exotic spectacle, eroticism, want and delight into a daring and debauched festival of the bizarre. Sexually explicit. Filmed in Hadhramawt, Aden, Sayoun, Amran, Sana'a, Zabid, and Wadi Dahar, Distributor or other source: Festival Films (www.fesfilms.com); Facets Multimedia (www.facets.org).
 
Joseph Chelhod. 1974. Arts et traditions populaires au Yémen. Color, sound (French), 33 min. Production: CNRS AV (SERDDAV). Description: A visual anthropology of Yemen. The film shows rural and urban scenes of Yemeni in their daily activities. These include scenes of the market, craftsmen, tradesmen and farmers. In the market, craftsmen manufacture many traditional objects such as daggers, water-pipe hoses, and pots. In the countryside, the men weave and dye fabrics. Traditional crafts are more common in the rural villages. For this film, a wedding is re-enacted. In high mountains, animals are used to plough the terraced fields. Distributor or other source: Centre national de la recherche scientifique (www.cnrs.fr/diffusion).
 
Paramount Oxford Films. 1975. [Middle East Countries]. Color, sound (English), 42 min. Production: Paramount Oxford Films. Description: Includes a 15 min segment on Yemen, an emerging Arab republic. Distributor or other source: WorldCat.
 
Alain Saint-Hilaire. 1975. Je reviens de Saba et t'en rapporte des nouvelles vraies. Color, sound (French), 100 min. Production: ASH Productions. Description: A travelogue with a variety of scenes. These include architecture of Sana'a, Ta'iz, Mahwit, Shahara and Tawila and archaeological sites in Sirwah, Ma'rib, and Na'at. Cultural activities include qat chewing, date festival in a Zaraniq village, wedding in the Tihama, funeral in the highlands, circumcision ceremonies in Tihama, Qur'an school in Hugariyya, and cloth embroidery in the Ta'iz area. Distributor or other source: ASH Prod (www.ashprod.com).
 
Stephen Cross (P/D) and Paul Keeler (P). 1976. Nomad and City (No. 5 of the The World of Islam Festival Trust Series). Color, sound (English), 28 min. Production: Institutional Cinema. Description: This episode of this series shows the symbolism of the nomad and the city as the two poles of Islamic civilization. The city is represented by scenes of Sana'a. Distributor or other source: Films for the Humanities and Sciences (www.films.com).
 
Foreign Mission Board. 1976. Yemen. Color, sound (English), 29 min. Production: Foreign Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention. Description: Southern Baptist missionaries James and June Young describe their medical missionary work in Jibla. The video version is dated 1981. Distributor or other source: Foreign Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention, Richmond, Virginia.
 
UNICEF. 1976. Yemen (Families of the World Series). Color, sound (English), 19 min. Production: Journal Films, Inc. Evanston, IL. Description: Explores family life in Yemen. Highlights changing roles for young people against a background of Arabian traditional patterns. Shows a teenage boy from a poor family who is taking advantage of the educational opportunities open to him and a young girl from a wealthy family who has cast aside the traditional role of Arab women as she pursues a teaching career. Distributor or other source: 16mm Cinema Store (www.afana.org/16.htm).
 
Russell Wulff. 1976. Yemen: An Emerging Arab Republic. Color, sound (English), 14 min. Description: An overview of life in Yemen, contrasting traditional village markets, rural lifestyles, caravan routes, and agricultural methods with foreign aid sponsored educational, medical and technological programs.
 
Ilan Ti'ani (P). 1978. Kemo me-'olam rahok--mahazor haye adam: Nisu'in (Worlds apart--the cycle of human life: Marriage). Color, sound (Hebrew with English subtitles), 30 min. Production: Sherut ha-seratim ha-Yisre'eli and Rashut ha-shidur--ha-Televizyah. Description: This documentary explores the marriage customs and rites of the Jews of Yemen, Kurdistan and Libya and how they have adapted them since becoming members of Israeli society. Distributor or other source: Library of Congress.
 
Ilan Ti'ani (P). 1978. Kemo me-'olam rahok--mahazor haye adam: Bagrut (Worlds apart--the cycle of human life: Adolescence). Color, sound (Hebrew with English subtitles), 26 min. Production: Sherut ha-seratim ha-Yisre'eli and Rashut ha-shidur--ha-Televizyah. Description: This documentary explores the custom of the bar mitzvah as practiced by the Jews of Yemen, Kurdistan and Libya and how they have adapted their versions of this ceremony since becoming members of Israeli society. Distributor or other source: Library of Congress.
 
Ilan Ti'ani (P). 1978. Kemo me-'olam rahok--mahazor haye adam: Ledah (Worlds apart--the cycle of human life: Birth). Color, sound (Hebrew with English subtitles), 26 min. Production: Sherut ha-seratim ha-Yisre'eli and Rashut ha-shidur--ha-Televizyah. Description: This documentary explores birth customs as practiced by the Jews of Yemen, Kurdistan and Libya and how they have adapted them since becoming members of Israeli society. Distributor or other source: Library of Congress.
 
National Broadcasting Company (NBC). 1979. Pressure Points: Oman, South Yemen, North Yemen (also Danger Points: Oman, South and North Yemen). Color, sound (English), 21 min. Production: Films Incorporated, Wilmette, IL. Description: Discusses the Soviet threat to the Oman and North Yemen and the effects of communist control of South Yemen.
 
Abd al-Aziz al-Harazi. 1979 (?). Al-Yaman Al-Thawra. B&W, sound (English), 35 min. Description: Probably filmed in the late 1970s. Shows the beneficial changes resulting from the 1962 revolution.
 
Ahmed M. Zayed. 1980 (?). Arabia Felix. B&W, sound (English), 32 min. Description: Probably filmed in the late 1970s. Focuses on Yemen's cultural heritage including old films of 1950s excavations around Ma'rib.
 
Bill Wolfe (D) and Jonathan Friedlander (W). 1981. Arabs in America. Color, sound (English), 28 min. Production: UCLA, Office of Instructional Development. Description: This social and cultural documentary traces the first Arabs to come to the United States in the mid-19th century and looks at their successors and their life as Americans. Includes scenes of Yemeni community in Lackawana, New York.
 
Dick Young (P/D). 1981. Journey For Survival: l'Interminable Voyage. Color, sound (French and English versions), 15 min. Production: Dick Young Productions; Canadian International Development Agency. Made for UNICEF, UNDP and WHO. Description: This film provides an overview of water-related problems in developing countries. Profiles of local initiative projects in Tanzania, Yemen, and Bangladesh demonstrate that with a firm commitment the current global water crisis could be resolved. Distributor or other source: National Film Board of Canada (www.nfb.ca).

Jean-Marc Leblon and Henri de Turenne. 1982. Le désert des déserts. Color, sound, 52 min. Description: Focus on the deserts of southern Arabia including the Ruba' al-Khali.

 
Ron Rice (D) and Taylor Mead (D). 1982/1962. Queen of Sheba Meets the Atom Man. B&W, sound (English), 109 min. Production: Anthology Film Archives. Description: An anti-industrialization, beat-generation film. Begun in 1962 by Ron Rice and completed after his death by Taylor Mead. Released in 1982. Distributor or other source: Arthouse Inc. (www.arthouseinc.com).
 
MichPle Arnaud. 1983. The Islamic City (World of Islam Series). Color, sound (English), 30 min. Production: R.M. Productions; Société nationale télévision française. Description: In the middle of deserts or steppes, towns assume vast religious, cultural, economic, and political influence. Cairo, Damascus, and Sana'a exemplify the Islamic city, centered around the traditional medina, mosques, and suqs, and beset by the modern problems of industrialization and overpopulation. Describes the architecture and important areas of Sana'a and Jibla. Distributor or other source: Films for the Humanities and Sciences (www.films.com).
 
InformAction Films. 1983. The Mercenary Game. Color, sound (French with English subtitles), 60 min. Production: InformAction. Description: Examines the role of mercenaries in international politics. Includes interviews with mercenaries who fought in Yemen. Distributor or other source: MPI Home Video (www.mpihomevideo.com).
 
Anders Odsbjerg. 1983. Only I Returned: A Film About Carsten Niebuhr. Danish Production: Nunafil, Copenhagen. Description: Documentary on the life and achievement of the 18th century German surveyor and explorer.
 
Pietro Francisci. 1983 (orig. 1952). The Queen of Sheba. B&W, sound (dubbed English), 103 min. Production: Lippert Pictures. Description: See description for the 1952 original. Distributor or other source: Facets Multimedia (www.facets.org).
 
Douchan Gersi (P/D). 1984. Kaaba, Center of the Universe & Bandits, Pirates & Flying Carpets. Color, sound (English), 52 min. Production: Gaylord Entertainment; Southern Cross Production. Description: Explorers criss-cross Yemen and Oman.
 
Daniel Wagner and Abdelhamid Lofti. 1984. Quranic Schooling in a Changing World. Color, sound (English), 23 min. Description: Traditional education in Yemen and other Middle Eastern countries. Distributor or other source: University of Pennsylvania (mec.sas.upenn.edu/films.html).
 
Paul-Jacques Callebaut (D), Nicole Saey (D) and Ciné & Téléproductions. 1985. Shiites, Followers of Ali (The Sons of Abraham Series). Color, sound (English), 27 min. Production: Landmark Media, Falls Church, Virginia. Description: Describes the beliefs and depicts the activities of a minority among the Muslim groups, the Shiites, in Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Contrasts their beliefs with those of the more numerous Sunnis. Distributor or other source: BuyIndies.com (www.buyindies.com).
 
Paul-Jacques Callebaut (D), Nicole Saey (D) and Ciné & Téléproductions. 1985. Sunnis and the Prohibited Mecca (The Sons of Abraham Series). Color, sound (English), 27 min. Production: Landmark Films, Falls Church, VA. Description: Examines the Sunnis of Arabia, the guardians of orthodoxy and of the Kaaba. Includes general information about Islam as well as Muslim life in Yemen. Distributor or other source: BuyIndies.com (www.buyindies.com).
 
 
 
Brian Lapping and Mark Anderson (P/D). 1985. Aden (Episode 9 of the End of Empire Series). Color, sound (English), 50 min. Production: Granada Television for Channel Four. Description: A film describing the British evacuation from South Yemen in 1968.
 
 
 
Johanna Spector (P/D/W). 1986. About the Jews of Yemen: A Vanishing Culture. Color, sound (English), 78 min. Production: Spector Films, 400 West 119th Street, New York, NY 10027. Description: During their 2000-year-long sojourn in Yemen, Jews developed special traditions, customs, ceremonies, art, music and dance. This documentary captures this rich culture as it is practiced today in modern Israel. Shows how the Yemeni Jews lived in Yemen under Imamic rule. Distributor or other source: Spector Films; Ergo Media (www.jewishvideo.com); Facets Multimedia (www.facets.org).
 
 
 
Nick Wagner. 1986. Sand im garten Eden; Eine Reise Durch Nordjemen. Color, sound (German), 90 min. Description: This is a travelogue on North Yemen.
 
 
 
Yemen Arab Republic (P). 1986 (?). Yemen Arab Republic. Color, sound (English), 35 min. Production: . Description: This official travelogue covers the same areas seen in the 1937 L'Arabie Interdite. Although technically poor, it is valuable for the fifty year comparison.
 
 
 
John A. Williams and Carolyn Williams. 1987. Islamic Art and Architecture of the Yemen. Part I: The Early Islamic Period. Part II: The Medieval Period. Color, sound (English), 57 min. Production: University of California, Santa Barbara Media Center. Description: Enhanced slide show that explores the early Islamic architecture of the Yemen. Points out that the mountainous country plays a special role in the history of the Arab region and in Islamic civilization. Shows that Yemen remained a well-populated land of sedentary cultivators until it was drawn into the orbit of the Muslim Arabs around A.D. 630. Distributor or other source: WorldCat.
 
 
 
Beth Hatefutsoth (P). 1988. The Jews of San'a. Color, sound (English), 16 min. Production: Beth ha-tefutsoth 'al shem Nahum Goldman. Description: Daily life of the Jews of Sana'a at the beginning of the 20th century based on photographs exhibited at the center. Distributor or other source: Beth Hatefutsoth (www.bh.org.il/Documentation/filmlist.asp).
 
 
 
Zelijko Malnar (D), Robert Hahn (D) and John Dolphin Allen (P). 1988. Secrets of Kataragama & Queen of Sheba's Bequest (Volume 5 of Journeys To Other Worlds). Color, sound (English), 56 min. Production: Caravan of Dreams Productions, USA in Cooperation with Televizija Zagreb, Yugoslavia. Description: The Queen of Sheba's Bequest traverses the ancient spice routes of the beautiful Arabia Deserta showing how trade brought great wealth to the Kingdoms of the Hadramawt and Shabwa. Yemeni traders still thrive today, living in abode "sky-scraper" cities whose mud brick buildings stand more than nine stories and are over five hundred year old. Distributor or other source: Dream Distributors; BuyIndies.com (www.buyindies.com).
 
 
 
Gilbert Cahen. 1989. Vitraux insolites B Sanaâ. Color, Sound (French), 45 min. Production: Gilbert Cahen. Description: At the time of the manufacture of a series of original plaster stained glasses, joint creation of the French graphic designer José-Marie Bel and Yemeni craftsmen, this film shows us the techniques that govern this art form as well as its beauty. Distributor or other source: Gilbert Cahen, LT Raspail, 5bis av. Maurice D'Ocagne, 75014 Paris.
 
 
 
Jean-Claude Carriere (D) and Joel Santoni (P). 1989. Il Faut Voir Sana'a (also One Must See Sana'a) (UNESCO Marvels of the World Series). Color, sound (French and French with English voice-over versions), 26 min. Production: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Description: This lyrical study places the architecture of Sana'a into the context of daily life - the mosque, the markets, the streets, the hammam, the midday meal, a qat session in the mafraj and a wedding in the evening. The English version was issued in 1991.
 
 
 
Volker Panzer (D) and Gottfried Kirchner (P). 1989. In Search of the Queen of Sheba. Color, sound (English), 43 min. Production: Terra-X. Description: Incorporating computer-assisted animation and rare footage of well-preserved archaeological sites, this program looks at evidence of the queen. Topics covered include the impact of the incense trade on the development of cities along the incense road, the remains of the mighty dam near Ma'rib (once the capital of Sheba, or Saba), and the religio-political forces that until recently prevented excavation of sites believed to hold clues to the story of the legendary queen. Distributor or other source: Films for the Humanities and Sciences (www.films.com).
 
 
 
Dick Young. 1989. Education for All. Color, sound (English), 18 min. Production: Inter-Agency Commission for the World Conference on Education for All; UNICEF. Description: Uses examples from Yemen, Mali, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and the United States to illustrate how countries are trying different approaches to spreading literacy, health education, computer training, and environmental education.
 
 
 
Richard Dindo. 1990. Arthur Rimbaud, une biographie. Color, sound (French), 120 min. Production: Les Films d'Ici; La Sept (télévision suisse romande); Cinémanufacture. Description: Actors recount the life of the famous gay poet, Arthur Rimbaud. Rimbaud's frenzied life, his doomed love affairs, his Svengali-like power over those around him, his artistic angst, his drudge work in Aden and Africa, and his drug addiction and early death at 37 are on full and florid display here. Dindo brings them to life through Rimbaud's own words, images of the locales in which he worked and played and suffered, and "interviews" with the principals in his life, including Paul Verlaine, who abandoned his wife to be with Rimbaud. Distributor or other source: AlloCiné.com (www.allocine.com).
 
 
 
Khadijah al-Salami (P/D). 1990. Femmes du Yémen (also Women in Yemen). Color, sound (French and English versions), 24 min. Production: . Description: Five interviews give insight into diverse rural and urban challenges to women and include commentaries on dowries, the dangers of tanour cooking, women's role in the army and the unification of Yemen. Distributor or other source: AlloCiné.com (www.allocine.fr).
 
 
 
Saad Salman (P/D). 1990. Conte-moi Shibam: au Yémen, le Manhattan du désert. Color, sound (French), 42 min. Production: Productions de la lanterne et l'Institut due Monde Arabe. Description: The historic city of Shibam (Hadhramawt), built 1600 years ago, constitutes one of the richest examples of Yemeni architecture. The video shows the history and inhabitants ways of life. The city is revealed in an atmosphere as if it popped up as in an Eastern tale. Distributor or other source: AlloCiné.com (www.allocine.fr/film).
 
 
 
Saad Salman. 1990. Sur Les Terrasses De Rimbaud. Color, sound (French), 26 min. Description: Traces the travels of poet and adventurer Arthur Rimbaud who lived in Aden from 1880-1891. Distributor or other source: AlloCiné.com (www.allocine.fr/film).
 
 
 
Saad Salman. 1990. Rimbaud, l'heure de la fuite. Color, sound (French), 52 min. Production: France 3; Modom Productions. Distributor or other source: AlloCiné.com (www.allocine.fr/film).
 
 
 
Andre Singer (D) and Anthony Milroy (P). 1990. Hanging Gardens of Arabia. Color, sound (English), 52 min. Production: IBT; INCA; Arid Lands Initiative. Description: An in-depth examination of the looming agricultural crisis in North Yemen owing to deforestation and lack of maintenance of the terraced fields of the southern uplands. Seasonal summer rains now run unchecked, ruining wadis and depositing rubble. Two decades ago there existed stable sustainable agriculture. Oddly there is no mention of qat, the increased acreage given to qat production, or the psychological effect of qat usage. Presents some efforts to preserve the terraces. Distributor or other source: Moving Picture Archive Ltd. (www.asgard.co.uk/mpa/equinox.htm); Television Trust for the Environment (www.tve.org).
 
 
 
Mawreen Ali (D) and Lynn Osborne (P). 1991. Arab Women at Work. Color, sound (English), 27 min. Description: Offers an excellent overview of the rapidly changing world of Arab women, the diverse roles they play both inside and outside the home, in rural and urban milieus. One of the cases is from Yemen. Distributor or other source: United Nations Development Programme.
 
 
 
Jean-Claude Luyat. 1991. Arabian sands: Wilfred Thesiger, Desert Adventurer (Le désert des déserts). Color, sound (French and English versions), 52 min Production: Les Films d"Ici; Arcanes Films. Description: This film is based on Wilfred Thesiger's memoir, Arabian Sands, old photographs, archival footage of the desert tribes, and interviews with aging sheiks who recall the hardships of their journeys. Thesiger fulfilled his lifelong ambition to explore the desert and live among the Bedouin. Although he endured extreme hunger, thirst, and exhaustion, he felt privileged to have experienced the silence and remote mystery of the endless dunes of the deserts of southern Arabia including the Ruba' al-Khali. Distributor or other source: Filmakers (www.filmakers.com).
 
 
 
Nihon Hoso Kyokai Television Network (P). 1991. Felix Arabia (Episode 3 of The Silk Road of the Sea). Color, sound (English), 51 min. Production: Nihon Hoso Kyokai Television Network. Description: Traces the sea trading history of Yemen. Also discusses the importance of incense and spices to the region. Comments on farming, religion, marriage customs, and ways of life. Distributor or other source: PBS (www.pbs.org).
 
 
 
Khadijah al-Salami (P/D). 1991. Hadramout, carrefour des civilisations (also Hadhramawt: Crossroads of Cultures). Color, sound (French and English versions), 45 min. Production: . Description: A superbly photographed tour of the Hadhramawt in former South Yemen, with particular emphasis on the unique architecture of that region. Interwoven are sequences of crafts, of a local wedding, a tea ceremony, a festival of celebrating ibex hunting, and a visit to tombs of early prophets. Excellent soundtrack of indigenous music and natural sounds. Distributor or other source: AlloCiné.com (www. allocine.fr).
 
 
 
Ismael al-Sayaghi (P/D). 1991. Usar wa 'ibar (Living Stories of Yemeni Families)(also Stories of Yemeni Families). Color, sound (Arabic with English subtitles), 30 min. Production: Yemeni TV-Channel 1, the Yemen Ministry of Information, the Yemen Ministry of Planning and Development, The Central Statistical Organization, and JHU/PCS. Description: Dramatic interviews with typical Yemeni families highlighting the effect that large family size has on their lives, including poor health, and lack of education. Intercut with a folk tale about a "destiny" ship, full of people and treasure, symbolizing the riches and resources of Yemen. Distributor or other source: Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs Near East Division (www.jhuccp.org); Television Trust for the Environment (www.tve.org).
 
 
 
Gordian Troeller. 1991. Opfer des Fortschritts (Victims of Progress) (Children of the World Series). Color, sound (?), 30 min. Description: Very little is known about the effect that the Gulf War in 1991 actually had on Yemen. More than a million Yemeni workers were forced to leave Saudi Arabia and the Emirate States, because the Government of Yemen supported Iraq's Saddam Hussein. If their families could not support them, they were herded into refugee-camps or pushed into ghetto-like slums. The regular money transfer that incremented the income of millions of families was abruptly cut off. Yemen plunged head-on into a huge economic crisis. More than half of the Yemeni population is under 14 years of age. Children were severely effected by the disaster. They were now called upon to supplement the family income by working either as casual laborers or street-hawkers.
 
 
 
Ayelet Heller. 1992. The Unpromised Land - Yemenite Olim. Color, Hebrew (with English subtitles), 50 min. Production: Amythos TV & Film Productions. Description: A documentary on the Yemeni Jews who settled near the Sea of Galilee in 1912, but were forced to leave due to the discriminatory policies and attitudes of the fabled Ashkenazi Kibbutz Kinneret settlers (who wanted their land) and the Yishuv in 1914. Distributor or other source: Sephardic Society (212.496.2173 or sephardic@juno.com).
 
 
 
Johns Hopkins University Population Communication Services. 1992. Advertising Campaign for Family Planning in Yemen. Color, sound, 9 min. Description: Seven 45 second ads. Distributor or other source: Johns Hopkins University.
 
 
 
J. Edward Milner (P/D). 1992. Conservation of Rare Trees (Episode 6 of Spirit of Trees Series). Color, sound (English), 25 min. Production: Acacia Productions with Radio Telefis Eireann for Channel 4. Description: Examines the varieties of odd trees found nowhere else in the world. Also examines the efforts of people involved in keeping alive and propagating nearly lost varieties of fruit trees. Distributor or other source: Cinema Guild (www.cinemaguild.com/nonFiction/environmentalStudies.htm).
 
 
 
J. Edward Milner. 1992. Socotra: Island of Dragon's Blood. Color, sound (English), 16 min. Production: . Description: The island of Soqotra off the Yemeni coast is home to over 750 plant and tree species, 250 of them endemic. In 1992, the island was visited by an international team of scientists and botanists. Edward Milner's short documentary follows the expedition, recording their efforts to catalogue and evaluate Soqotra's extraordinary genetic wealth. The bark of the Dragon's Blood tree has special value. Used in ancient times by Byzantine emperors to sign their names, today it is pounded and heated to make incense, pigments and medicines. More significantly, all the botanic specimens found here are highly resistant to drought, a genetic quality ideal for habitat restoration with enormous potential for other drought-prone parts of the world. Distributor or other source: Television Trust for the Environment (www.tve.org].
 
 
 
Folco Quilici. 1992. Fantasmi di Pietra - Citti fossili d'Arabia. Color, sound (Italian), 28 min. Description: Filmed in Baraqish and Ma'rib.
 
(Ardoukoba). 1993. Mission Corail. Color, sound (French), 26 min. Production: Ardoukoba. Description: A scientific expedition conducts a "medical check-up" on the coral reefs around the Red Sea Hanish Islands. Because this is a relatively undiscovered region the area is pollution free. Mireille Guillaume of National Museum of Natural History, a specialist in the study of the coral reefs takes samples. He analyzes the settlement of the corals and tells us how the coral develops. He explains the dangers that threaten the coral.
 
 
 
(Ardoukoba). 1993. L'âge du corail. Color, sound (French), 3 min. 33 sec. Production: Ardoukoba. Description: A French-Yemeni team of marine biologists conducts a four-week study near Hanish Island. The primary goal is to examine the condition of the coral. Among these scientists is Mireille Guillaaume or the National Natural History Museum, a specialist in the study of the growth of coral. He shows how coral is a history book through which one can read the climatological events of the past.
 
 
 
Yamina Benguigui. 1993. Le voile et le silence (Part 3 of Femmes d'Islam). Color, sound (French), 54 min Production: France 2; Bandits. Description: In Yemen, men and the women are legally equal, but the marriage process for girls results in a high rate of illiteracy. In Mali, the women are victims of an ancestral tradition: 75 % of them underwent excision. In Indonesia, certain Qur'anic schools lean towards an austere form of Islam. Distributor or other source: (www.allocine.com).
 
 
 
Olivier Descamps. 1993. Sanaa et Shibam: les tours de sable (also Yemen: Sana'a et Shibam les tours de sable; Les tours de sable: Sanaâ et Shibam ). Color, sound (French), 52 min. Production: Modom Productions; INA. Description: Between the two ancient cities of Sana'a and Shibam, men and the women live a traditional lifestyle that recalls the legendary origins of this area and whose history merges with that of humanity. Distributor or other source: Fnac.com (www.fnac.com).
 
 
 
Josy Eisenberg (P). 1993. Yemen 93. Color, sound (French), 30 min. Production: Kol-Or Films. Description: History of Yemeni Jews told through a photographic exhibit in France.
 
Larry Frisch (P/D) and Jacques Ungar (W). 1993. Last Jews in Yemen: The People of the Bible. Color, sound (English), 43 min. Production: Arthur Cantor Films. Description: Presents non-political aspects of life of the last Jews in Yemen. Focuses on ritual and domestic life including reenactments of Passover service and scenes in a synagogue. Boys are shown in Hebrew school. Household scenes suggest male-female relationships. Men are shown chewing qat. Distributor or other source: Facets Multimedia (www.facets.org).
 
 
 
Walther Grotenhuis (D). 1993. Bab al Yemen: Gateway to Yemen. Color, sound (no narration; Arabic dialogue with English subtitles), 40 min. Production: Olympic Productions. Description: Addresses social change in Yemen through the device of showing life in rural areas and the discovery of oil. The underlying idea is the gate is being forced open. Distributor or other source: Filmakers Library (www.filmakers.com).
 
 
 
Jacques Madvo and Leopold Lacroix. 1993. Yemen: Happy Arabia (also Yemen). Color, sound (English), 29 min. Production: World Film Productions; Ontario Educational Communications Authority; TVOntario; RMI Media Productions. Description: Filmed in YAR probably in the late 1970s (original version dated 1982). The main focus is on Yemen's efforts to avoid external influences. An interesting period piece showing cultivation of wheat, sorghum, and cotton as well as the ruins of Sheba's kingdom. Makes the startling assertion that the overthrow of the imam and civil war led to the formation of the two Yemens. In this context it is not surprising that qat is presented as an addictive narcotic. Distributor or other source: Films for the Humanities and Sciences (www.films.com).
 
 
 
Layth Abdulamir. 1994. Yemen: le temp du sacré. Color, sound (French), 51 min Production: Blue Marlyn. Description: Documentary focusing on the craft industry, the Yemeni way of life, and omnipresent sense of religiosity that dominates both. Distributor or other source: Institut national de l'audiovisuel (www.ina.fr).
 
 
 
C-SPAN (licensee). 1994. Moscow Evening News (Novosti ITA, May 9, 1994). Color, sound (Russian with English voice-over), 30 min. Production: Novosti (Russian Information Agency). Description: The news includes information on the 1994 Yemen civil war. Distributor or other source: WorldCat.
 
 
 
Dirk Dumon. 1994. Building with Mud. Color, sound (English), 53 min. Production: BRTN. Description: In traditional villages and modern architects use this sun dried material to create unique vernacular and cultural styles. This fascinating study examines the virtues and drawbacks of mud, its environmental impact, and ways architects reinvent its uses in response to social and environmental needs. Shows mud architecture in Sa'ada. Distributor or other source: .
 
 
 
Dick Foster (P) and Tom Baker (N). 1994. Wall to Wall. Color, sound (English), 30 min. Production: BBC Education & Training. Description: Examines earth-building from mud built houses in South Yemen to traditional cob cottages in Devon.
 
 
 
 
 
Emma Freud. 1994. Gift of Incense. Color, sound (English), 53 min(?). Production: Chameleon TV. Description: Retraces the ancient frankincense trade route in her journey by land, sea and air from the frankincense groves of Oman to Jerusalem. Filmed in Shibam and Ma'rib.
 
 
 
Jill Gluckson (P) and Mark Mannucci (D). 1994. The Lotus Seed. Color, sound (English), 30 min. Production: Lancit Media Productions; WNED-TV; GPN. Description: Immigrant children, including a Muslim boy from Yemen, discuss adjusting to life in the United States. Distributor or other source: GPN (gpn.unl.edu/rainbow).
 
 
 
Anthony G. Milroy. 1994. Renewing the Hanging Gardens: Preventing the Desert. Color, sound (English, French, Arabic versions), 20 min. Production: Arid Lands Initiative. Description: Focuses on soil degradation caused by poor rangeland management and use of traditional practices to restore and ecological balance. First video in the series. Distributor or other source: Television Trust for the Environment (info.tve.org/mp6/).
 
 
 
Anthony G. Milroy. 1994. Renewing the Hanging Gardens: Restoring the Groundwater. Color, sound (English, French, Arabic versions), 40 min. Production: Arid Lands Initiative. Description: Documents the problems of depleted groundwater stores and local efforts to replenish them using traditional techniques. Second video in the series. Distributor or other source: Television Trust for the Environment (info.tve.org/mp6/).
 
 
 
Anthony G. Milroy. 1994. Renewing the Hanging Gardens: Regreening the Mountains. Color, sound (English, French, Arabic versions), 30 min. Production: Arid Lands Initiative. Description: Focuses on grass-roots revegetation initiatives involving simple techniques. Third video in the series. Distributor or other source: Television Trust for the Environment (info.tve.org/mp6/).
 
 
 
Anthony G. Milroy. 1994. Renewing the Hanging Garden: Repairing the Wadis. Color, sound (English, French, Arabic versions), 30 min. Production: Arid Lands Initiative. Description: Focuses on the development of easily-replicable, low-cost, wire reinforced construction techniques to reclaim and reinforce traditional wate spare irrigation systems. Fourth video in the series. Distributor or other source: Television Trust for the Environment (info.tve.org/mp6).
 
 
 
Marc RiviPre. 1994. L'homme aux semelles de vent: Arthur Rimbaud (also A. Rimbaud: Aventures en Abyssinie; Arthur Rimbaud, L'homme aux semelles de vent). Color, sound (French), 155 min Description: Feature film (in two parts) on the last decade of Rimbaud's life. The film begins with his arrival in Aden at age 26 and follows his travels and adventures there and in Ethiopia.
 
 
 
Asher Tlalim and Tzipora H. Jochsberger. 1994. 'Am u-tselilav Teman. Color, sound (Hebrew), 60 min. Production: Tel'ad. Description: A film on the music of Yemeni Jews performed in Israel.
 
 
 
Daniel Despin. 1995. Le pays suspendu: Yémen. Color, sound (French), 24 min. Production: France 3 Grenoble. Description: Report on Yemen, a country of builders. Yemeni carve the mountains. Before the civil war, Yemen was called "happy Arabia". An reunification agreement between north and the south was signed in May 1990. Distributor or other source: Institut national de l'audiovisuel (www.ina.fr).
 
 
 
Carol Latturd. 1995. Women in Islam. Color, sound (English), 87 min. Production: Islamic World Conference, Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. Description: Taped lecture that discusses the diversity of women and women's issues in a number of Islamic countries including Yemen. Distributor or other source: WorldCat.
 
 
 
Wieland Lippoldmüller (D). 1995. Heißes Land am Roten Meer - Im Tiefland des Jemen. Color, sound (German), 52 min. Description: Shows the wide variety of bird life found in the Tihama, Hadramawt, and other coastal regions.
 
Wieland Lippoldmüller. 1995 (?). Heißes Land am Roten Meer - im Hochland des Jemen. Color, sound (German), 52 min. Description: Shows the wide variety of bird life found in the highland areas of Yemen.
 
 
 
Joan Mandell (D/P) and Sally Howell (P). 1995. Tales from Arab Detroit: Abu Zayd Comes to America. Color, sound (English), 45 min. Production: Olive Branch Productions. Description: Chronicles the journey of a traditional Egyptian storyteller on his first visit to the US and the reactions of some of the Arab-Americans in the Detroit area who witness his performances. Shows generational conflict and includes a Yemeni rap artist. Distributor or other source: Arab Film Distribution (www.arabfilm.com).
 
 
 
Raynal Pellicier and Thierry Goron. 1995. Le vieil homme et la fleur. Color, sound (French), 52 min. Production: Ellipse Production. Description: Theodore Monod has devoted his life to studying the fauna and the flora of the African deserts. At age 83, he surveys the desert of Shibam, in the south of Yemen, looking for rare varieties of incense trees. Distributor or other source: (www.allocine.com).
 
 
 
Georges Pernoud (P). 1995. Yémen: Les sardines du désert. Color, sound (French), 25 min. Production: France 3. Description: Sayhut is a major port for the importation of products from Arabian Peninsula countries. It also handles thousands of tons of dried sardines caught in the Gulf of Aden that are intended as camel food. Distributor or other source: Institut national de l'audiovisuel (www.ina.fr).
 
 
 
Yossi Turisky (D/W) and Nathan Beyrak (P). 1995. The Communities of Kaifeng and San'a (also The Jewish Communities of Kaifeng and San'a). Color, sound (English), 31 min. Production: Bet Ha-tefutsot 'al Shem Nahum Goldman. Description: Uses archival film clips to reconstruct Yemeni Jewish life. Explores the lifestyles of the Jews of Sana'a up to and including their immigration to Israel after 1948. Distributor or other source: Ergo Media (www.jewish.com/store).
 
 
 
Robert M. Young. 1995. Solomon and Sheba. Color, sound (English), 95 min. Production: A & E Entertainment. Description: A made-for-television movie of the famous story starring Halle Berry and Jimmy Smits. Distributor or other source: VideoETA (www.videoeta.com).
 
 
 
Yosef Katzman. 1996. Yemenite Jewry. Color, sound (English), (60 or 120 min). Production: Bea Moss Productions. Description: Two programs (102-103) on Yemeni Jews. Part I focuses on Yemeni children who disappeared after they arrived in Israel. Part II presents Yemeni Jews maintaining their traditions in Israel. Distributor or other source: WorldCat.
 
 
 
John Miles (P/D), Dawn Hurley (W) and Damien Lewis (W). 1996. Yemen's Cultural Drug: Qat (also Yemen's Cultural Drug: Dream or Nightmare). Color, sound (English), 58 min. Production: Equilibrium Films. Description: For centuries, a veil of mystery has shrouded the ancient land of Yemen to the outside world, hiding both is fascinating tribal customs as well as its nationwide addiction to the controversial plant qat. This film explores the Yemeni culture and its dependency on qat, which plays a central role in daily life, marriages and tribal disputes. Focusing on a central character, the film tells the story of a powerful qat trader and chewer who is about to get married. His wedding is overshadowed by a bitter dispute over his qat growing fields. What threatens to be a full blown clan war is peacefully resolved through chewing qat. Distributor or other source: Filmakers Library (www.filmakers.com).
 
 
 
Sheila Payne. 1996. In Yemen. Color, sound (English), 11 min. Production: Domaine Productions. Description: Filmed in Sana'a and Ma'rib, this is mainly a study of textiles and qat.
 
 
 
Josef Tsuri'el. 1996. Homot Hemar. Color, sound (Hebrew), 60 min. Production: Rashut ha-shidur, ha-Televizyah ha-Yisre'elit. Description: Filmed in Israel, the film examines the wedding customs of Yemeni Jews. Produced in 1992.
 
 
 
Najah Bazzy. 1997. Health Care Beliefs and Needs of the Arab Islamic Community of Detroit. Color, sound (English), 82 min. Production: Madonna University. Description: Najah Bazzy, RN, gives a first hand working knowledge of care giving for Arab Moslem patients of Islamic faith, and discusses Moslem patient and family needs and practices, medical and ethical issues, and a pointed critique of Kim Klawicki's case study of Arabic Yemen culture and Moslems. Distributor or other source: WorldCat.
 
Jean-Claude Guilbert. 1997. Socotra, l'île aux oublis. Color, sound (French), 52 min. Production: Highway Television; Ardoukoba; Total Yémen. Description: The island of Soqotra, in Yemen is one of the most isolated places on earth. For twenty-five years it was "prohibited." It was an ancient stop on the road to the Indies, discovered by Portuguese and colonized by English. The island was Christian until the 18th century, an anomaly in an area that has been Muslim for more than ten centuries. The film maker shows the enormous richness of the land and everyday life of the Socotris. Using the comments of Anbar, an old shark fisherman and Khadijah, a diplomat, this film raises the veil on Soqotra, mysterious island par excellence. It also reveals the truth about the secret Soviet naval base.
 
 
 
Ben Hafey. 1997. Wall of Light: The History of Stained Glass. Color, sound (English), 85 min. Production: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; Ben Productions. Description: Covers the 5,000-year history of leaded and stained glass from its origins in Yemen.
 
 
 
Johns Hopkins University. 1997. Arab Women Speak Out: Yemen. Color, sound (Arabic), 47 min. Production: Center of Arab Women for Training and Research; Population Initiatives for Peace; JHU/CCP. Description: Profiles two Yemeni women who have followed non-traditional paths to careers. Distributor or other source: Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs Near East Division (www.jhuccp.org.
 
 
 
Alaine Jomier (D) and Elisabeth Kiledjian (P). 1997. Yémen, pays de la reine de Saba (Yemen: Land of the Queen of Sheba). Color, sound (French and English), 54 min. Production: Institut du monde arabe; Paris PremiPre; Les films d'ici; La CinquiPme; Centre national de la cinPmatographie. Description: Presents archaeological evidence from Saba, Qataban, Ma'in, and Hadhramawt. Combines contemporary views and culture with evidence of former kingdoms. Sequential presentation highlights the main sites and uses animations to reconstruct those that are incomplete. Distributor or other source: Films for the Humanities and Sciences (www.films.com).
 
 
 
Stewart Lansley (P) and Greg Lanning (P). 1997. No Turning Back (Part 2 of The Gulf War Series). Color, sound (English), 50 min. Production: Films for the Humanities and Sciences. Description: Former Secretary of State Baker and an American embassy official describe how the U.S. punished Yemen for not supporting the war by withholding aid and rewarded Syria for allying itself with pro-war Arab nations. Distributor or other source: Films for the Humanities and Sciences (www.films.com).
 
 
 
Desmond Morris (W). 1997. Passages of Life (Volume 4 of Desmond Morris's The Human Sexes Series). Color, sound (English), 50 min. Production: Partridge Films; Learning Channel. Description: Compares how different cultures deal with boys and girls as they grow up. Shows a Yemeni boy and girl as they mark their entrance into puberty with jambiyya and veil. Distributor or other source: BuyIndies.com (www.buyindies.com).
 
 
 
Khadijah al-Salami. 1997. L'Île de l'homme au pied d'or. Color, sound (French), 26 min. Production: Ardoukoba. Description: During the Cold war, Soqotra was a base for Soviet nuclear submarines. Still, the Soqotris continued to fish and harvest incense, myrrh and aloe. Sulayman an old pearl diver is a famous local character. Because of an accident, he stopped harvesting pearls and turned to other activities. He tells the history of the island, the activities and the life of the men.
 
 
 
Khadijah al-Salami. 1997. Terre de Saba. Color, sound (French), 55 min. Production: Modom Productions. Description: An examination of archaeological evidence and its relationship to present day life. South Arabia was the cradle of the great Arab migrations in antiquity. The kingdom of Sheba was directed by the legendary queen Bilqis. Distributor or other source: AlloCiné.com (www.allocine.fr).
 
 
 
HélPne Coldefy and Stéphane MilliPre. 1998. Paintings of the Desert (segment of Histoire de pierres). Color, sound (French), 14 min. Production: France 2; Gédéon Programmes, Duran Production. Description: Michel Garcia is an archaeologist who traverses Yemen to study rupestral paintings and engravings. Distributor or other source: Institut national de l'audiovisuel (www.ina.fr).
 
 
 
Clément Fonquernie. 1998. Menaces sur Socotra. Color, sound (French), 26 min. Production: Agence Environnement Développement. Description: Presents the work of French scientists who are working to preserve the rich flora and fauna of Soqotra and its surrounding waters. Distributor or other source: Institut national de l'audiovisuel (www.ina.fr).
 
 
 
Alain Rastoin. 1998. Chasseurs de serpents au Yémen (Snake Hunters, Journey into the Yemen). Color, sound (French and English versions), 52 min. Production: France 2; Gédéon Programmes. Description: Documentary on two researchers, Alexandre Teynie and Frederic Durant, who are attempting to count all the species of reptiles and insects living in Yemen. Distributor or other source: Institut national de l'audiovisuel (www.ina.fr); Europe Images International (www.europeimages.com).
 
 
 
Delores Walters (P/D/W). 1998. Murshidat: Female Primary Health Care Workers Transforming society in Yemen (also Murshidat, Midwives and Nurses: Women Transforming Health Care and Social Relations in Yemen). Color, sound (English; also Arabic and Arabic with English subtitles versions), 40 min. Production: Penn State Media Sales. Description: Filmed in 1996, explains a program designed to educate and provide women with healthcare, and to train local women as midwives and healthcare providers in Yemen. Distributor or other source: Penn State Media Sales (mediasales.psu.edu).
 
 
 
Carol Bellamy. 1999. 1999 State of the World's Children. Education. Color, sound (English), 16 min. Production: UNICEF Division of Communication. Description: Discussion of programs to insure a child's right to an education in many nations, including Yemen.
 
 
 
Caterina Borelli. 1999. The Architecture of Mud. Color, sound (English), 51 min. Production: Anonymous Productions. Description: The documentary is an archival record for the Yemenis - and for the world - of a stunning architectural environment that is rapidly disappearing. Describes the techniques and uses of mud bricks as building materials. Discusses the stages of mud construction, its advantages over cement, and the value of lime waterproofing. Filmed in Hadhramawt. Distributor or other source: American Institute for Yemeni Studies (www.aiys.com); Documentary Educational Resources (www.der.org).
 
 
 
Marquise Lepage. 1999. Des Marelles Et Des Petites Filles-- l'enfance violée de millions de filles (also Hopscotch and Little Girls). Color; sound (French, English and German versions); 52 min. Production: Productions Virage. Description: Using hopscotch as a common thread, the video illustrates how young girls' dreams are denied by parents who force them to work, marry, abandon education, or abuse them. Distributor or other source: National Film Board of Canada (www.nfb.ca).
 
 
 
Mayyasa al-Malazi. 1999. Delta I: Drilling for Oil in Yemen. Color, sound (English), 41 min. Production: No Kidding Productions. Description: Delta 1 takes us on a pilgrimage to the Tihama region of Yemen, where a petroleum company based in London is drilling a wildcat exploration well. It brings us to the vortex of a drama where technology depends on men with camels, and on the supply of water in an arid landscape. Here men in shacks equipped with fax machines pit their brains and determination against the earth to yield its riches. This suspense-filled documentary gives a new dimension to an industry so vital to the Middle East and the world. Distributor or other source: Filmakers Library (www.filmakers.com).
 
 
 
Douglas Spencer (D) and Felice Gorica (P). 1999. Off the Map. 13, Yemen. Color, sound (English), 24 min. Production: DBS-Gorica Productions; Filmwest Associates. Description: Hope Beverstein, an 80 year-old retired nurse and widow crosses the desert and visits Yemen's most celebrated Islamic city. Distributor or other source: Filmwest Associates (www.filmwest.com).
 
 
 
Christophe Tissot. 1999. Le Yémen. Color, sound (French), 52 min. Production: La CinquiPme; Air Productions; Carabin. Description: Olivier Chiabodo, aboard the ship Noah, seeks information on some economic and ecological aspects of certain regions and cities of Yemen. This documentary is punctuated by images filmed from the Mir space station. Distributor or other source: Institut national de l'audiovisuel (www.ina.fr).
 
 
 
Layih Abdulamir and Henri Lecomte. 2000. Music from the Heart of Yemen. Color, sound (English), 52 min. Production: Films du Village. Description: This is a pictorially beautiful brief survey of some of the main areas of music and styles in Yemen from Sana'a to Hadhramawt, Aden, Lahej and the Tihama. Distributor or other source: Films du Village, 24/26 Rue de Prairies, Paris 75020 Tel:144628877 Fax:144627242.
 
 
 
Bader Ben Hirsi. 2000. The English Sheikh and the Yemeni Gentleman. Color, sound (English), 75 min. Production: Felix Films (www.felixfilms.co.uk). Description: The film shows images of the Yemen unique to the screen, but also provides a rare insight into the characters of the colorful Yemeni people and their rich customs. The London-born Yemeni film maker is guided by the long-term Yemen resident. Distributor or other source: Facets Multimedia (www.facets.org); Arab Film Distribution (www.arabfilm.com).
 
 
 
Trevor Bormann (W). 2000. Yemen - A Nation on Drugs. Color, sound (English), 15 min 5 sec. Production: Journeyman Pictures; ABC Australia. Description: Walid al-Saqqaf, a newspaper publisher, is one of the loudest critics of the drug that has become a Yemeni national obsession. To an outsider it's a grotesque sight. Here, almost every visible face carries the characteristic bulge, the bloated cheek full of green leaves betraying the qat habit. Ninety percent of the men follow this regime daily. Fifty percent of the women chew it in less public displays. The drug increases the pulse and blood pressure, keeps you awake and "stimulates the mind". Yemeni intellectuals have been chewing qat for six hundred years. But many fear that qat has taken such a hold on the country that it's ruining the economy, making people lazy and giving Yemen a bad reputation. Fruit plantations are being ripped up to feed the habit. A fascinating look at a hidden culture suddenly in the spotlight. Distributor or other source: This program is unavailable on VHS due to licensing restrictions.
 
 
 
Eric MILLOT and Alain RASTOIN Bruno VIENNE. 2000. Adventurers in the Wild. Color, sound (French and English versions), 52 min. Production: Leo Productions. Description: Two vets and their three year daughter take a jeep half way across the world in search of disappearing species from the Yemen, through Africa and Madagascar and into Asia. Distributor or other source: Europe Images International (www.europeimages.com).
 
 
 
William Friedkin (D), Richard D. Zanuck (P) and Scott Rudin (P). 2000. Rules of Engagement. Color, sound (English), 127 min. Production: Paramount Pictures. Description: The story, set in Yemen (filmed in Morocco), follows the trial of Colonel Terry Childers who is court-martialed. The American embassy in Yemen is surrounded by a large crowd of demonstrators. Marine Colonel Terry Childers (Samuel L Jackson) is sent to evacuate the ambassador and his family. Childers launches his mission, the ambassador's safety is secured, but three of his men are shot. The Colonel orders his men to fire at the crowd. Eighty-three Yemenis, including women and children, are massacred by Marines -- a realistic-looking scene that has evoked cheers from some American audience. Described by Jack Shaheen as the worst film ever. Distributor or other source: Amazon (www.amazon.com).
 
 
 
Chris Hale (P) and David Espar (P). 2000. Lost Tribes of Israel (Nova Series). Color, sound (English), 55 min. Production: Cicada Films Ltd for NOVA in association with WGBH/Boston. Description: Anthropologist Tudor Parfitt on a scientific and genealogical journey that leads from the Holy Land through Zimbabwe, to the wilderness of Southern Yemen and a modern-day London genetics lab. Distributor or other source: WGBH (main.wgbh.org/wgbh/shop).
 
 
 
University of Virginia School of Medicine. 2000. Healing Ambassadors: Physicians for Peace. Color, sound (English), 60 min. Production: UVA Clinical Engineering, Media Production Services. Description: Dr. Fred Ward shares his experiences in the Phillipines and Yemen. Distributor or other source: Physicians for Peace (www.physicians-for-peace.org/index.htm).
 
 
 
Igor Likar (D). 2001. Socotra, The Island of the Dragon's Blood Tree. Color, sound (Slovene and English voice-over versions), 50 min. and 30 min. versions. Production: Arsmedia Ljubljana Production. Description: Presents the story of this remote island. Located about 60 miles from the Horn of Africa, the island used to be part of the prehistoric continent called Gondwana. One of the most unusual forms of vegetation are found on Soqotra. This includes the Dracenna cinnabari, or Dragon's blood trees. Single specimens are as old as a thousand years. Distributor or other source: RadioTelevizija Slovenija (www.rtvslo.si).
 
 
 
Emily Marlow (D). 2001. The Miller's Tale: Bread for Life. Color, sound (English), 27 min. Production: Television Trust for the Environment; Bullfrog Films; BBC Worldwide. Description: Iron deficiency anemia is the most widespread nutritional disorder in the world, affecting more than two billion people. The easiest way to combat the problem is to fortify the flour in bread, but complex social and cultural issues in the Middle East make fortification difficult. Bread has been sacred since ancient times, and many millers refuse to add anything unnatural to their bread because of their beliefs. This program looks at the efforts to introduce fortified flour in Yemen and Egypt, two of the most affected countries. Distributor or other source: Bullfrog Films (www.bullfrog.com).
 
 
 
George Paul (D), Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson. 2001. Primetime Thursday (January 18, 2001). Color, sound, 45 min. Production: ABC News Productions. Description: Examines the Oct. 12, 2000 terrorist bombing attack on the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole while it was docked in Aden. Features eyewitness accounts of the USS Cole incident and video footage of damage inside ship.
 
 
 
Bader Ben Hirsi. 2002. Socotra: Dragon's Blood Island. Color, sound (English), 50 min. Production: Felix Films (www.felixfilms.co.uk). Description: A remote secret island south of the Arabian peninsula, focusing on the rare and unique endemic wildlife, fauna and flora, as well as the superstitious islanders including cave dwellers, pirate fishermen and witches.
 
 
 
Cécile Denjean. 2002. Yémen, le voile et l'interdit. Color, sound (French), 52 min. Production: France 5. Description: In Yemen more than in any Arab country, the women live behind a wall of silence to maintain their respectability. Without form, face and voice, they are sheltered from glances and covetousness. This film testifies to the alarming status of Yemeni women. Distributor or other source: Institut national de l'audiovisuel (www.ina.fr).
 
 
 
Anthony Geffen (P) and Alexander Dunlop (D). 2002. The Queen of Sheba: Behind the Myth. Color, sound (English), 52 min. Production: Atlantic Productions. Description: An expedition has unearthed a remarkable find in the remote Rub al-Khali desert of Yemen, revealing the lost city in which Sheba walked, worshiped, loved and schemed. Archaeologists piece together the evidence that recreates the dramatic life of one of history's most enigmatic queens. Distributor or other source: Discovery Channel Store (shopping.discovery.com/stores).
 
 
 
Martin Meissonnier. 2002. Sur les traces de la reine de Saba. Color, sound (English), 102 min Production: Gaumont Télévision. Description: Looks at the figure of the Queen of Sheba in Jewish, Christian and Islamic history and culture presenting varying versions of her story. Uses archaeological evidence and Israeli, Yemeni, and Ethiopian oral traditions and sacred texts.
 
 
 
Martin Smith (P/W) and Marcela Gaviria (D). 2002. In Search of Al Qaeda. Color, sound (English), 60 min. Production: Frontline; PBS Home Video; Rainmedia, Inc.; WGBH. Description: Follows the trail of Al Qaeda from the Afghan border areas into Pakistan's cities. The journey continues to other Middle Eastern countries such as Yemen and Saudi Arabia, where local villagers, officials and others are interviewed. Distributor or other source: PBS (www.shop.pbs.org/).

 

 
 

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