After Morocco’s and Algeria’s independence (1956, 1962 respectively), the governments of both countries sought to replace French with Standard Arabic in public administration, education and the media, and that became the official language. However, other spoken languages are present in both countries, darija (colloquial Arabic) and Berber languages, and French is still taught in higher education and a mark of political and economic elites. The countries’ multilingualism offers an area for investigating the politics of language in both countries. 1999 was also a turning point for cinema in both countries. Politically, that year marked the end of the civil war in Algeria and, in Morocco, the accession of the new king, Mohammed VI. The year also marked the revival of cinema in both countries. In examining a selection of films, produced between 1999 and 2015, I will ask the following questions: do films broadly reflect and embrace the countries’ multilingualism? Which languages are represented in films and to what effect? What is the relationship between language and gender relations? How is language use perceived by the Algerian and Moroccan public? In seeking to answer such questions, I will examine the use of language in films in relation to three themes key to this thesis: national identity; religion and politics; and sexuality. The question of gender will run through all three themes. Central to the thematic discussion is also close reading and thorough contextualization of the films in relation to the conditions of funding and filming. In this way I hope to pinpoint some of the ways in which language in Algerian and Moroccan films is more than a mere element of mise-en-scène, but an essential part that advances our understanding of these cinemas.