Movies Like Desert Flower

If you liked Desert Flower (2009), a drama movie directed by Sherry Hormann, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Trees of Peace (2021)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
Four women from different backgrounds forge an unbreakable sisterhood while trapped and in hiding during the genocide in Rwanda.
2
The Pirates of Somalia (2017)
★ 6.8/10Also drama
After an inspiring chance encounter with his idol, rookie journalist Jay Bahadur uproots his life and moves to Somalia looking for the story of a lifetime. Hooking up with a local fixer, he attempts to get embedded…
3
Captain Phillips (2013)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
4
Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
★ 7/10Also drama
The story of Dian Fossey, a scientist who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and later fought to protect them.
5
Shooting Dogs (2006)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
Two westerners, a priest and a teacher find themselves in the middle of the Rwandan genocide and face a moral dilemna. Do they place themselves in danger and protect the refugees, or escape the country with their…
6
The Woman King (2022)
★ 7.6/10Also drama
The story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen, and General Nanisca as she trains…
7
Tears of the Sun (2003)
★ 6.9/10Also drama
Navy SEAL Lieutenant A.K. Waters and his elite squadron of tactical specialists are forced to choose between their duty and their humanity, between following orders by ignoring the conflict that surrounds them, or…
8
Emancipation (2022)
★ 7.7/10Also drama
Inspired by the gripping true story of a man who would do anything for his family—and for freedom. When Peter, an enslaved man, risks his life to escape and return to his family, he embarks on a perilous journey of…
9
Amina (2021)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
In 16th-century Zazzau, now Zaria, Nigeria, Amina must utilize her military skills and tactics to defend her family's kingdom. Based on a true story.
10
Sometimes in April (2005)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
Two brothers are divided by marriage and fate during the 100 horrifying days of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
11
Blood Diamond (2006)
★ 7.6/10Also drama
An ex-mercenary turned smuggler. A Mende fisherman. Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the…
12
Beasts of No Nation (2015)
★ 7.6/10Also drama
Based on the experiences of Agu, a child fighting in the civil war of a West African country. Follows Agu's journey as he's forced to join a group of soldiers. While he fears his commander and many of the men around…
13
The Birth of a Nation (2016)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
Nat Turner, a former slave in America, leads a liberation movement in 1831 to free African-Americans in Virginia that results in a violent retaliation from whites.
14
The Ron Clark Story (2006)
★ 7.6/10Also drama
Passionate and innovative teacher Ron Clark leaves his small hometown to teach in one of Harlem's toughest schools. But to break through to the students, he must use unconventional methods, including his…
15
Kandahar (2001)
★ 6.2/10Also drama
After an Afghanistan-born woman who lives in Canada receives a letter from her suicidal sister, she takes a perilous journey through Afghanistan to try to find her.
16
The End We Start From (2023)
★ 5.8/10Also drama
As London is submerged below floodwaters, a woman gives birth to her first child. Days later, she and her baby are forced to leave their home in search of safety. They head north through a newly dangerous country…
17
Farming (2018)
★ 6.2/10Also drama
Based on the writer/director's childhood, FARMING tells the story of a young Nigerian boy, 'farmed out' by his parents to a white British family in the hope of a better future. Instead, he becomes the feared leader of…
18
The Glorias (2020)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
An equal rights crusader, journalist and activist: Gloria Steinem embodies these and more. From her role in the revolutionary women's rights movement to her travels throughout the U.S. and around the world, Steinem has…
19
The Lost Bus (2025)
★ 7/10Also drama
A determined father risks everything to rescue a dedicated teacher and her students from a raging wildfire.
20
The Water Diviner (2014)
★ 6.8/10Also drama
In 1919, Australian farmer Joshua Connor travels to Turkey to discover the fate of his three sons, reported missing in action. Holding on to hope, Joshua must travel across the war-torn landscape to find the truth and…