Film Description
Amreeka
Director: Cherien Dabis
Cast: Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat, Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Jenna Kawar Language: English and Arabic with English Subtitles Drama, 14 A for brief drug use involving teens, and some language
(USA/Canada)
“When most filmmakers want to say something important about cultural conflicts, they labor to bring tears to our eyes. Dabis, by contrast, makes us laugh at ourselves and, in turn, each other."
– Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly
"Funny and playful... Beautifully written and directed... Made with a keen eye and a light touch, Amreeka excels at finding the warmth and humanity in a difficult situation."
– Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Synopsis: Amreeka chronicles the adventures of Muna, a single mother who leaves the West Bank with Fadi, her teenage son, with dreams of an exciting future in the promised land of small town Illinois. In America, as her son navigates high school hallways the way he used to move through military checkpoints, the indomitable Muna scrambles together a new life cooking up falafel burgers as well as hamburgers at the local White Castle. Told with heartfelt humor by writer-director Cherien Dabis in her feature film debut, Amreeka is a universal journey into the lives of a family of immigrants and first-generation teenagers caught between their heritage and the new world in which they now live and the bittersweet search for a place to call home. Amreeka recalls Dabis’s family’s memories of their lives in rural America during the first Iraq War. The film stars Haifa-trained actress Nisreen Faour as Muna, and Melkar Muallen plays her 16-year-old son, Fadi.
Official website: www.amreeka.com
Screening:
Saturday, October 17, 2009, 7 PM, Bayfield 7 Cinemas
Sunday, October 18, 2009, 3:30 PM, Bayfield 7 Cinema
Awards:
- WINNER, DIRECTOR’S FORTNIGHT, FIPRESCI PRIZE, CANNES FILM FESTIVAL, 2009
- NOMINATED, GRAND JURY PRIZE, DRAMATIC, SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL, 2009
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