ARAB AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Happy Arab American Heritage Month!
It was only one year ago that the U.S. Department of State proclaimed April to be Arab American Heritage Month thanks to independent Syrian-American author and advocate, Pierre Subeh. For a deeper dive into some of the issues currently facing the MENSA filmmaker community, please read this Open Letter to Sundance and add your name as an additional signatory. It is imperative that we continue to lift up marginalized voices by sharing films by Arab American filmmakers and amplifying stories about Arab American communities.
Please join us in celebrating Arab American Heritage Month by watching some of these films directed by Film Fatales members:
Across the Sea directed by Esra Saydam
Damla returns home to a beautiful Turkish summer village, bringing along her American husband, Kevin. Soon, she is face to face with the painful heartbreaks of years ago. Amid a beautiful beach backdrop, can Damla and Kevin overcome the pains of the past?
You can watch Across the Sea here.
*
Are You Glad I’m Here directed by Noor Gharzeddine
A millennial American girl befriends a Lebanese housewife and disrupts her ordered life; one night they become accidental partners-in-crime.
You can watch the trailer, or stream Are You Glad I’m Here on Amazon, Googe Play, and Tubi.
*
Detroit Unleaded directed by Rola Nashef
Sami runs his immigrant family’s gas station with his cousin Mike, a charismatic hustler with dreams of expanding into an unleaded empire. More than just a pit stop for late-night gas and rolling papers, their station is where a steady stream of unforgettable and often hilarious customers flow through. When a gorgeous “up-do girl” named Najlah comes to deliver cheap long-distance phone cards, Sami quickly falls for her from behind the bulletproof glass. Afraid her overprotective brother Fadi will disapprove, Najlah begins an under-the-counter romance with Sami, making his shift anything but routine.
You can watch Detroit Unleaded on Amazon and Vudu.
*
Habibi Rasak Kharban directed by Susan Youssef
Set in Gaza, this film is a modern retelling of the forbidden love story between 7th century Arab poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah and his one and only Layla.
You can stream Habibi Rasak Kharban on Netflix.
*
Jaddoland directed by Nadia Shihab
Jaddoland explores the meaning of home and the search for belonging across generations. When the filmmaker returns to her hometown in the Texas panhandle to visit her mother, an artist from Iraq, she turns her lens on her mother’s increasingly isolated life, as well as the beauty and solace that emerge through her creative process. Soon, the filmmaker’s charismatic grandfather arrives from Iraq, prompting the filmmaker on a deeper search to understand her own roots and connections to the places she calls home. Jaddoland was nominated for 2020 Spirit Award.
*
Lift Like a Girl directed by Mayye Zayed
On a busy, noisy high-traffic street corner in Alexandria, Egypt, a seemingly vacant corner lot surrounded by chain link fencing is the training site of Egypt’s most elite champions – female weightlifters.
Zebiba (Arabic for “raisin”) has been training at the site for five years, since she was 9, following in the footsteps of Egypt’s most famous athletes of all time – including the first Arab, female, two-time Olympic medalist, Abeer Abdel Rahman, and World champion and Olympic athlete, Nahla Ramadan. Nahla’s father, the visionary Captain Ramadan, has bred champions, female champions, from his makeshift corner–lot training site for over two decades – 4 Olympic, 9 World and 17 Pan African champions.
Now it is Zebiba’s turn. But can Zebiba put aside her youthful instincts, and direct her focus to be the weightlifting champion the Captain is sure she is?
You can check out the film’s website and stream on Netflix.
*
May in the Summer directed by Cherien Dabis
As May’s wedding approaches, she finds herself confronting her family’s turbulent past. From award-winning filmmaker Cherien Dabis who made AMREEKA (2009) which world-premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the prestigious fipresci award in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes.
You can watch May in the Summer on Amazon and iTunes.
*
Niloofar directed by Sabine El Gemayel
NILOOFAR is a twelve-year-old girl whose dream is to read and write in a village where education is only for boys. While assisting her mother during a delivery Niloofar meets a wise woman who allows her to secretly study. Niloofar’s father arranges her marriage to an older man once she becomes a woman. Horrified by this notion, Niloofar does everything in her power to postpone her first periods. When destiny catches up with her she hides her womanhood from her community to pursue her dream. Until one day, the truth is revealed.
You can watch Niloofar on Indieflix.
*
Speed Sisters directed by Amber Fares
The Speed Sisters are the first all-woman race car driving team in the Middle East. Grabbing headlines and turning heads at improvised tracks across the West Bank, these five women have sped their way into the heart of the gritty, male-dominated Palestinian street car-racing scene. Weaving together their lives on and off the track, SPEED SISTERS takes you on a surprising journey into the drive to go further and faster than anyone thought you could.
You can watch Speed Sisters on Amazon and AppleTV.
*
The Feeling of Being Watched directed by Assia Boundaoui
When journalist Assia Boundaoui investigates rumors of surveillance in her Arab-American neighborhood in Chicago, she uncovers one of the largest FBI terrorism probes conducted before 9/11 and reveals its enduring impact on the community.
You can check out the film’s website here.
