Black Gold (2011): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2011, Black Gold is a drama and adventure film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, running about 130 minutes.

What it’s about. On the Arabian Peninsula in the 1930s, two warring leaders come face to face. The victorious Nesib, Emir of Hobeika, lays down his peace terms to rival Amar, Sultan of Salmaah. The two men agree that neither can lay claim to the area of no man’s land between them called The Yellow Belt. In return, Nesib adopts Amar’s two boys Saleeh and Auda as a guarantee against invasion. Twelve years later, Saleeh and Auda have grown into young men. Saleeh, the warrior, itches to escape his gilded cage and return to his father’s land. Auda cares only for books and the pursuit of knowledge. One day, their adopted father Nesib is visited by an American from Texas. He tells the Emir that his land is blessed with oil and promises him riches beyond his wildest imagination. Nesib imagines a realm of infinite possibility, a kingdom with roads, schools and hospitals all paid for by the black gold beneath the barren sand. There is only one problem. The precious oil is located in the Yellow Belt.

Who’s in it. Black Gold stars Mark Strong as Sultan Amar, Antonio Banderas as Emir Nesib, Freida Pinto as Leyla and Tahar Rahim as Auda, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, Black Gold has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response. It went on to earn $5.4M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Philo and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube and Fandango At Home. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Black Gold page.

If you liked it. Fans of Black Gold tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.