Movies

The AMC cinema in Riyadh hosted the first film screening in more than three decades on April 18. Movie theaters open to the wider public next month after Saudi Arabia lifted a 35-year ban on cinemas as part of a far-reaching liberalization drive. Bandar Al-Jaloud/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

U.S. troops, in tan uniforms, look over maps with Afghan rebel commander Rashid Dostum (center) in October 2001. A dozen U.S. soldiers teamed up with Dostum's force to defeat the Taliban in northern Afghanistan. Courtesy of Bob Pennington hide caption

Call Me By Your Name, Get Out, The Florida Project, The Big Sick, Coco and Girls Trip all made NPR's top list. Sony Pitcures Classics/Universal Pictures/A24/Lionsgate/Disney Pixar/Universal Studios hide caption

Dillon Smith gets popcorn for customers in the concession stand at the TK/Starlite Drive-In Theater in Nebraska. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

Sonata Director Aparna Sen is a veteran of the small, artistic cinema. She says while mainstream films often "commodify" women, "the good news is that many different films are now being made about women" and by women who are starting their own production companies. Julie McCarthy/NPR hide caption

The Palestinian-Israeli movie Bar Bahar has won acclaim for its intimate portrayal of three Palestinian women living in Tel Aviv. Courtesy of Maysaloun Hamoud hide caption

From left to right, Salvatore Corsitto as Bonasera, James Caan as Santino 'Sonny' Corleone and Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone in 'The Godfather'. Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images hide caption