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IMDbPro

Cherien Dabis

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
74th Primetime Emmys - Arrivals
Trailer for May in the Summer
Play trailer2:27
May in the Summer (2013)
2 Videos
49 Photos
Cherien Dabis is a critically acclaimed and award winning Palestinian American film and television director, writer, and actress. Born in the U.S. and raised in Ohio and Jordan, Dabis studied film at Columbia University's School of the Arts.

Most recently, Dabis was Emmy nominated for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for the critically acclaimed and groundbreaking episode "The Boy From 6B" on Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building", starring comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short alongside Selena Gomez. Told from the perspective of a deaf character and with only one line of spoken dialogue, Dabis relied on ASL, compelling visuals, and the soundtrack to tell the story. In addition to her directing work on season 1, Dabis directed two episodes of season 2.

Dabis got her start with her debut feature Amreeka, which she wrote and directed. The film premiered at Sundance in 2009 and went on to win the coveted FIPRESCI International Critics Prize in the Director's Fortnight at Cannes. It won a dozen more international awards and was nominated for a Best Picture Gotham Award, 3 Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Picture, and named one of the Top Ten Independent Films of the Year by the National Board of Review. It landed Dabis on Variety's "Ten Directors to Watch" list that same year. Dabis made history when the film broke records in its theatrical release by becoming the most-screened Arab-directed film in US-cinema history.

Dabis forged new ground with her second feature May in the Summer, in which she also stars opposite Bill Pullman, Hiam Abbass and Alia Shawkat. The film opened the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and had its international premiere at the Venice Film Festival before being released worldwide. It's available to stream on Amazon.

A true multi-hyphenate, Dabis is known for standout episodic directing work on Emmy award-winning television shows such as Hulu's "Ramy" and Netflix's "Ozark," as well as her writing and acting for television. Past writing credits include "Empire," "Quantico," and "The L Word" and in the world of acting, she just wrapped on Scott Z. Burns' upcoming Apple TV+ anthology series "Extrapolations.'' Next, she will appear as a recurring guest star on "Mo," comedian Mo Amer's new half hour comedy for Netflix.
BornNovember 27
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornNovember 27
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 15 wins & 19 nominations total

Photos49

Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat, Bill Pullman, Cherien Dabis, Nadine Malouf and Ritu Singh Pande attend the May In The Summer premiere during the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
Cherien Dabis and Nisreen Faour on the set of Amreeka.
Cherien Dabis attends the IFP's 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at Cipriani, Wall Street.
Cherien Dabis, Nadine Malouf & Alia Shawkat in May in the Summer
Cherien Dabis at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival.
CHERIEN DABIS AS NADIA, MO AMER AS MO IN EPISODE 105 OF MO.
Cherien Dabis, Ula Tabari, and Nisreen Faour in Villa Touma (2014)
Cherien Dabis and Ula Tabari in Villa Touma (2014)
Cherien Dabis, Ula Tabari, Nisreen Faour, and Maria Zreik in Villa Touma (2014)
Cherien Dabis, Ula Tabari, Nisreen Faour, and Maria Zreik in Villa Touma (2014)
Cherien Dabis, Ula Tabari, Nisreen Faour, and Maria Zreik in Villa Touma (2014)
Cherien Dabis, Ula Tabari, and Nisreen Faour in Villa Touma (2014)

Known for

Amreeka (2009)
Amreeka
7.0
  • Director
  • 2009
Ramy Youssef in Ramy (2019)
Ramy
8.0
TV Series
  • Director
Bill Pullman, Cherien Dabis, and Elie Mitri in May in the Summer (2013)
May in the Summer
5.7
  • Director
  • 2013
Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building (2021)
Only Murders in the Building
8.1
TV Series
  • Director

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Director

  • Invitation to a Bonfire
    • Director
    • Pre-production
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building (2021)
    Only Murders in the Building
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2021–2022
  • Brittany O'Grady in Little Voice (2020)
    Little Voice
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2020
  • Ramy Youssef in Ramy (2019)
    Ramy
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2019–2020
  • Ozark (2017)
    Ozark
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2020
  • Bill Pullman and Alice Kremelberg in The Sinner (2017)
    The Sinner
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2017–2018
  • Maddie Hasson in Impulse (2018)
    Impulse
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • Ella Purnell in Sweetbitter (2018)
    Sweetbitter
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Quantico (2015)
    Quantico
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2017
  • Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson in Empire (2015)
    Empire
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2016–2017
  • Not Another Word (2013)
    Not Another Word
    • Director
    • Short
    • 2013
  • Bill Pullman, Cherien Dabis, and Elie Mitri in May in the Summer (2013)
    May in the Summer
    • Director
    • 2013
  • Amreeka (2009)
    Amreeka
    • Director
    • 2009
  • Make a Wish (2006)
    Make a Wish
    • Director
    • Short
    • 2006
  • The D Word (2005)
    The D Word
    • Director (multiple episodes)
    • 2005
  • Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother (2004)
    Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother
    • Director
    • Short
    • 2004

Writer

  • Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson in Empire (2015)
    Empire
    • written by
    • TV Series
    • 2016–2017
  • Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Quantico (2015)
    Quantico
    • written by
    • TV Series
    • 2015–2016
  • Not Another Word (2013)
    Not Another Word
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 2013
  • Bill Pullman, Cherien Dabis, and Elie Mitri in May in the Summer (2013)
    May in the Summer
    • story
    • writer
    • 2013
  • Amreeka (2009)
    Amreeka
    • written by
    • 2009
  • The L Word (2004)
    The L Word
    • written by
    • story editor
    • staff writer
    • TV Series
    • 2006–2008
  • Make a Wish (2006)
    Make a Wish
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 2006
  • The D Word (2005)
    The D Word
    • Writer
    • 2005
  • Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother (2004)
    Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 2004
  • Little Black Boot (2004)
    Little Black Boot
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 2004
  • Nasha Pestonji in Nadah (2003)
    Nadah
    • writer
    • Short
    • 2003
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos2

Amreeka
Trailer 2:39
Amreeka
May in the Summer
Trailer 2:27
May in the Summer

Personal details

Edit
  • Born
    • November 27
    • Omaha, Nebraska, USA
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles

Self-verified on IMDbPro

  • Race / Ethnicity
    • Middle Eastern / North African

Did you know

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  • Trademarks
      Minnesota, USA

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