Amreeka (2009)

Director:

Cherien Dabis

Writer (WGA):

Cherien Dabis (written by)

Release Date:

17 June 2009 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Life's best adventures are journeys of the heart.

Plot:

A drama centered on an immigrant single mother and her teenage son in small town Illinois. |

Plot Keywords:

One Word Title

Awards:

3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Nisreen Faour	...	Muna Farah
Melkar Muallem	...	Fadi Farah
Hiam Abbass	...	Raghda Halaby
Alia Shawkat	...	Salma
Jenna Kawar	...	Rana Halaby
Selena Haddad	...	Lamis Halaby
Yussuf Abu-Warda	...	Nabeel Halaby
Joseph Ziegler	...	Mr. Novatski
Andrew Sannie	...	James
Daniel Boiteau	...	Mike
Brodie Sanderson	...	Matt
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aaron Hughes	...	Police Officer #1
Arne MacPherson	...	Mike's Dad
Craig Matthews	...	Police officer #2
Vanessa Mayberry	...	Sammy
Mike O'Brien	...	Bank Manager #1
Adriana O'Neil	...	Female Bank Manager
Bradley Sawatzky	...	Parkton Bank Manager
Kristen Sawatzky	...	Female Official
Glen Thompson	...	Nelson
Will Woytowich	...	US Airport Customs Official

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief drug use involving teens, and some language.

Runtime:

USA:96 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #45380) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Canada:14A (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Ramallah, Palestine

Company:

First Generation Films

Home Is Where The Heart Is (no matter where you are)

Back in the late 1980's early 1990's(especially during Operation Desert Scam),there was a plague of anti Arab sentiment that enveloped the United States for a good part of the decade. Things did not fare any better in the wake of September 11th,2001,and only managed to get worse with George W.Bush attacking Iraq. Hollywood,predictably got on that vile band wagon & produced some pretty vile films,depicting all Arab & Arab/Americans as ruthless terrorists. Despite the fact that most of these attitudes still exist,Canada produced a wonderful film about a Palestinian woman & her son coming to America for a better life. This film is 'Amreeka' (the Arabic word for America). Cherien Dabis writes & directs,from her own original screenplay,a tale of finding home. Muna Farah is a single mother,dealing with the daily grind of living in occupied Palestine (spot checks at the border are a regular way of life,as well as the wall separating the Gaza strip from Isreal,where motorists have to contend with driving out of their way, just to get to work,etc.). With the money she has been saving for some time,Muna & her teen-aged son,Fadi,make it to America,where they live with her sister,Raghda & her family. Sounds like an idyllic picture,doesn't it? Guess again. Muna & Fadi have to deal with the growing racism against Arabs. Does she manage to rise above it all & make America her home? That's for you to find out. Nisreen Faour shines as Muna,a woman who has been kicked around for far too long. Melkar Muallem earns kudos as her son,Fadi. Hiam Abbass is her sister, Raghda (a winning performance). The rest of the cast turns in fine performances,as well. This is quality film making that deserves to be experienced,even if you're not Arab. Spoken in Arabic with English subtitles,and English. Rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some salty language,some drug related material & some mild violence