Arab American Heritage Month
This Arab American Heritage Month, let’s continue to uplift films by and about Arab American communities. Please join us in watching some of these films directed by Film Fatales members:
Amreeka directed by Cherien Dabis
A drama centered on the trials and tribulations of a proud Palestinian Christian immigrant single mother and her teenage son in small town Indiana. When a Palestinian single mom and her teenage son immigrate to small-town Illinois during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, they face racism, discrimination and unemployment in their adopted homeland.
An Act of Worship directed by Nausheen Dadabhoy
A polyphonic portrait of the last 30 years of Muslim life in America. Told through the lens of Muslims living in the United States, the film offers a counter-narrative of pivotal moments in U.S. history and explores the impact of anti-Muslim rhetoric and policy on young Muslims who came of age after 9/11. Due to their first-hand knowledge and intimate access to the Muslim community, the filmmaking team is able to take charge of the account, which has previously been shaped by outsiders.
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.
As I Want directed by Samaher Alqadi
An explosion of sexual assaults takes place in Tahrir Square on the second anniversary of the revolution. In response, a massive outpouring of enraged women fill the streets. Director Samaher Alqadi picks up her camera as a form of protection and begins documenting the growing women’s rebellion, not knowing where the story will lead her.
Detroit Unleaded directed by Rola Nashef
A fresh take on boy-meets-girl comedy set in Detroit. An ambitious Lebanese-American youth is forced to take over his family’s gas station after his father’s death
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.
He Belongs to Us directed by Gigi Hozimah
Remy is a lonely and neglected New Yorker who is haunted by an array of demons. Coming to terms with both the death of his mother and his depression, Remy’s vivid nightmares begin to take a sinister hold of his very existence.
Jaddoland directed by Nadia Shihab
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. Jaddoland explores the meaning of home and the search for belonging across generations.
Lift Like a Girl directed by Mayye Zayed
With the guidance of her relentless coach, a teen weightlifter emerges from a scrappy training camp in Egypt to compete at the championship level.
May in the Summer directed by Cherien Dabis
A woman of American-Jordanian parentage returns home to Amman to plan her wedding, but family chaos and clashing values erupt over her Muslim fiance.
Q directed by Jude Chehab
An intimate and haunting portrayal of a quest for love and acceptance at any cost, Q depicts the insidious influence of a secretive matriarchal religious order in Lebanon on three generations of women in the Chehab family.
Salma’s Home directed by Hanadi Elyan
Three Arab women living in modern day Jordan must put their differences aside and work together.
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.
Suspended Wives directed by Merieme Addou
While men in Morocco are allowed to marry again six months after they have been separated, for women to get divorced is an almost insurmountable bureaucratic undertaking. Ghita, Latifa and Saadia are attempting it nonetheless.
The Brain That Sings directed by Amal Al-Agroobi
A 6-year-old boy and an 18-year-old, both living with autism in the United Arab Emirates, hopefully attend three months of music therapy.
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.
The Mother of All Lies directed by Asmae El Moudir
A Moroccan woman’s search for truth tangles with a web of lies in her family history. As a daughter and filmmaker, she fuses personal and national history as she reflects on the 1981 Bread Riots, drawing out connections to modern Morocco.
The Swimmers directed by Sally El Housani
From war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics, two young sisters embark on a risky voyage, putting their hearts and their swimming skills to heroic use.
Their Algeria directed by Lina Soualem
Lina’s grandparents have decided to separate. Together, they came from Algeria to Thiers, in the middle of France, over 60 years ago. Side by side, they had experienced this chaotic immigrant life. For Lina, their separation is an opportunity to question their long journey of exile, as well as her identity.
You Resemble Me directed by Dina Amer
Cultural and intergenerational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris. After the siblings are torn apart, the eldest, Hasna, struggles to find her identity, leading to a choice that shocks the world. Director Dina Amer takes on one of the darkest issues of our time and deconstructs it in an intimate story about family, love, sisterhood, and belonging.
