Exclusive: Poster for ‘American Arab’ Shows the World Trade Center as the Backdrop for Its Story
The latest film from Kartemquin Films (Hoop Dreams; The Trials of Muhammad Ali) will have its world premiere this Friday at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), where it’s competing in the mid-length category. Titled American Arab, the doc is written and directed by Iraqi-American filmmaker Usama Alshaibi and takes a personal look at the issue of racism against Arabs after 9/11. I haven’t seen it, but given the consistent quality of that production company, I’m very happy to debut the poster, seen above (click for a larger size), on Nonfics.
The official one-sheet is a bit provocative in featuring the Twin Towers so prominently in the background. But it illustrates to us that the World Trade Center is clearly the backdrop for the film and its “Coming of Arab” story. Who are those people in the foreground? I’d assume that’s Alshaibi as a young man sitting facing us. American Arab is about many more people than the filmmaker, though. According to Kartemquin’s synopsis, the doc showcases “the diversity of Arabs living in the United States” and “sparks a frank conversation about identity and perception, and argues for giving people ‘the space to be complicated.’”
Following its unveiling at IDFA, the hope is for American Arab to get a theatrical release in 2014. So if you’re not in Amsterdam this weekend, stay tuned for more info on where we can see it next, and down the road.
