DIFF FILMS

FOR THE YEAR 2009

AMREEKA

Winner of Muhr Arab / Feature /Best Actress :Nisreen Faour (Actor / Actress)

Canada, Kuwait, U.S.A. / 2009 / Arabic, English dialogue with English subtitles / Colour / 35 mm / 97 mins

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Cast & Credits

Director: Cherien Dabis
Producer: Al-Zain Al-Sabah, Cherien Dabis, Christina Piovesan, Liz Jarvis, Paul Barkin
Scriptwriter: Cherien Dabis
Cinematographer: Tobias Datum
Editor: Keith Reamer
Composer: Kareem Roustom
Cast (in alphabetical order): Alia Shawkat, Hiam Abbass, Melkar Muallem, Nisreen Faour, Yussef Abu-Warda

Synopsis

The search for one's own identity, caught between two cultures, is at the heart of debut director Cherien Dabis's critically-acclaimed feature film. 'Amreeka' chronicles the adventures of Muna, a single mother who leaves the Palestinian West Bank with Fadi, her teenage son, with dreams of an exciting future in the promised land of small-town Illinois. In the heart of the Midwest, the Arab newcomers arouse a variety of reactions - but 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 at the local White Castle fast-food joint.

Contains: 15+