Movies like The Night of Counting the Years (1969)
The best movies like The Night of Counting the Years (1969) are Saladin (1963), The Yacoubian Building (2006) and Alexandria Again and Forever (1989). If The Night of Counting the Years hooked you with its drama and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLion of the Desert (1981)7.3/10 from 211 votes
- NewestPalestine 36 (2025)Released 2025
Saladin (1963)
The first Sultan of Egypt and Syria leads the Muslim military campaign against the invading Christians from Europe during the Third Crusade.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
The Yacoubian Building (2006)
The lives of residents in an old Cairo building, "The Yacoubian Building," are affected by issues like corruption, extremism, class disparity, and sexuality. Through diverse characters, the film offers a critical examination of Egyptian society.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAlexandria Again and Forever (1989)
Set in 1987 against the backdrop of a hunger strike by the Egyptian film industry, Chahine himself steps in to play Yehia, the famed Egyptian director whose life is chronicled in "Alexandria, Why?" and "An Egyptian Story". Obsessed with Amr, the handsome actor he discovered and cast as his alter-ego in parts one and two of The Alexandria Trilogy, Yehia pressures Amr to star in various film projects that change even as Yehia's perception of the young actor begins to change. He first casts Amr as Hamlet, which the actor deems too demanding for his talents, then as the lead in a musical biopic of demigod Alexander the Great, who founded the city of Alexandria in 332 B.C.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
The Nightingale's Prayer (1959)
This compelling tale of love and betrayal, set in the upper Egyptian countryside, follows the story of Amna as she plots her revenge on the engineer who destroyed her family's honor.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Land of Fear (2000)
A police officer is chosen in the late 1960s for a unique and lifelong mission: to infiltrate Egypt’s criminal underworld. Stripped of his name and reputation, he adopts a new identity, living among smugglers, dealers, and nightclub owners. Over the years, he rises within this hidden world, all the while trying to balance his secret duty with the temptations of wealth, power, and desire. Against the backdrop of Egypt’s shifting political eras, his life becomes a meditation on morality, loyalty, and the fragile boundaries of identity and biblical-level metaphors.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Kira & El Gen (2022)
The movie focuses on the fury state that was among the people in synchronization with the main event in Egypt: The 1919 Egyptian Revolution which unites the fates of Kira and El Gen to participate in the struggle against the British occupation.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
America America (1963)
A young Anatolian Greek, entrusted with his family's fortune, loses it en route to Istanbul and dreams of going to America.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAttica (1980)
Acclaimed dramatization recreating the incidents surrounding the 1971 revolt in New York's Attica State Prison that lasted for 23 days and resulted in the greatest casualty toll between Americans since the Civil War.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
The Message (1976)
In sixth-century Mecca, Prophet Muhammad receives his first revelation from God as a messenger. Three years later, he's not alone in his quest and publicly declares his prophecy. Muhammad is fought by Abu Sufian and his wife Hind, rulers of Mecca. Muhammad's followers are hunted and tortured but he continues his calling.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPalestine 36 (2025)
Year 1936. As villages across Palestine rise against British colonial rule, Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest. But history is relentless. With rising numbers of Jewish immigrants escaping antisemitism in Europe and some arriving with nefarious Zionist-colonial ambitions, and the Palestinian population uniting in the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s 30-year dominion, all sides spiral towards inevitable collision in a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the entire region.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTwo Girls from Egypt (2010)
The struggle of two women who face many events and the psychological and sociological aspects of being unmarried yet of marrying age in the context of an Eastern society where women are expected to be part of a man's household.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (1992)
In 1919, the great English military man T. E. Lawrence tries to help Emir Feisal, ruler of Arabia, retain his political power during the Conference of Peace in Paris.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Sons of Rizk 2: Return of the Lions of the Land (2019)
Three years after the events of the first film, the four brothers are trying in various ways to preserve the covenant they made to themselves to stay away from a life of theft and crime, but one event in their lives changes all that, and introduces them to new worlds for them, and puts them in very dangerous confrontations with A number of professional criminals.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Hassan and Marcus (2008)
A terrorist Muslim group calls for the execution of Sheikh Hassan for refusing to join their organisation. At the same time, a priest ,Marcos, is also facing death threats. Both men seek help from the government, who puts them under the witness protection program, giving each man the other's identity.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShake Hands with the Devil (2007)
In 1993, Canadian Lieutenant General Roméo Dallaire was sent by the United Nations to Rwanda as commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR). Its mission, to ensure the ceasefire, is underfunded, excessively bureaucratized and made up of military units which come from dozens of countries and which each have a very different program... These are Lt Gen Dallaire's efforts to stop the madness of the Rwandan Genocide, despite the complete indifference of his superiors.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Wife of an Important Man (1988)
When Mona marries the seemingly decent police officer Hisham, she finds out there is more into him than what he shows to the people.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
The Lady of Heaven (2021)
Two stories separated by 1400 years. After losing his mother in the midst of a war-torn country, an Iraqi child learns the importance and power of patience by discovering the historical story of Lady Fatima and her suffering.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Lion of the Desert (1981)
Resistance leader Omar Mukhtar opposes Italian colonization before World War II. The brutal guerrilla war against Italian General Rodolfo Graziani and the Fascist forces of Benito Mussolini highlights the struggle for Libyan independence and the harsh tactics utilised by the colonisers.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKarmouz War (2018)
Alexandria, Egypt, 1940. Three young Egyptians come to the aid of a woman being attacked by three British soldiers. One of them is arrested and thrown in jail. When the military surrounds the police station and begins an all-out assault, it's up to one man, Gen. Youssef al-Masri, to defend his prison and protect his people.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisCairo 6,7,8 (2010)
Three women seek justice due to the difficult daily situation which sexual harassment causes in the streets of Cairo, Egypt.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCairo Station (1958)
Qinawi, a physically challenged peddler who makes his living selling newspapers in the central Cairo train station, is obsessed with Hanuma, an attractive young woman who sells drinks. While she jokes with him about a possible relationship, she is actually in love with Abu Siri, a strong and respected porter at the station who is struggling to unionize his fellow workers to combat their boss' exploitative and abusive treatment.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPharaoh (1966)
Young Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers. inexperienced, but quite ambitious pharaoh is putting up a fight against a powerful clan of priests usurping rule over the country.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBloody Sunday (2002)
The dramatised story of the Irish civil rights protest march on January 30 1972 which ended in a massacre by British troops.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKing of the Gypsies (1978)
Zharko, leader of the Romanis in NYC, passes his position of leadership on to his unwilling grandson, Dave, leading to infighting between Dave and his father.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Orders (1974)
A fact-based account of ordinary citizens who found themselves arrested and imprisoned without charge for weeks during the October Crisis in 1970 Quebec.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Munich - The Edge of War (2021)
At the tense 1938 Munich Conference, former friends who now work for opposing governments become reluctant spies racing to expose a Nazi secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRadium Girls (2020)
Young women toiling in a factory are exposed to hazardous material which takes a disastrous toll on their health.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Book of Daniel (2013)
Taken into slavery after the fall of Jerusalem in 605 B.C., Daniel is forced to serve the most powerful king in the world, King Nebuchadnezzar. Faced with imminent death, Daniel proves himself a trusted Advisor and is placed among the king's wise men. Threatened by death at every turn Daniel never ceases to serve the king until he is forced to choose between serving the king or honoring God. With his life at stake, Daniel has nothing but his faith to stand between him and the lions' den.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOranges and Sunshine (2010)
The story of Margaret Humphreys, a social worker from Nottingham, who uncovers one of the most significant social scandals in recent times – the forced migration of children from the United Kingdom to Australia and other Commonwealth countries. Almost singlehandedly, Margaret reunited thousands of families, brought authorities to account and worldwide attention to an extraordinary miscarriage of justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAdventures of a Mathematician (2021)
The warmhearted story of Polish immigrant and mathematician Stan Ulam, who moved to the U.S. in the 1930s. Stan deals with the difficult losses of family and friends all while helping to create the hydrogen bomb and the first computer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Night of Counting the Years?
The closest matches to The Night of Counting the Years are Saladin (1963), The Yacoubian Building (2006) and Alexandria Again and Forever (1989). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Night of Counting the Years?
People who watched The Night of Counting the Years most often go on to Saladin (1963), The Yacoubian Building (2006) and Alexandria Again and Forever (1989).
What is the highest-rated movie like The Night of Counting the Years?
Lion of the Desert (1981), rated 7.3/10 by 211 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Night of Counting the Years?
Palestine 36 (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Night of Counting the Years chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Night of Counting the Years, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.