In medieval Córdoba, Spain, under Arab rule, a secular and multicultural society flourished. There, liberal philosopher Ibn Rushd (known in the West as Averroes) is faced with the fanatical ideas of a fundamentalist Islamic sect.

One of Youssef Chahine’s late epics is a historical melodrama, an exhilarating musical, and a political plea all at once. Made as a reaction to the rise of religious fundamentalism in 1990s Egypt, Destiny is a vibrant tale that conveys the words of the philosopher it portrays: “Ideas have wings.”