Amreeka (2009)

A drama centered on the trials and tribulations of a proud Palestinian Christian immigrant single mother and her teenage son in small town Indiana.

Director:

Cherien Dabis

Writer:

Cherien Dabis

Stars:

Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass

9 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nisreen Faour	...	Muna Farah
Melkar Muallem	...	Fadi Farah
Hiam Abbass	...	Raghda Halaby
Alia Shawkat	...	Salma Halaby
Yussuf Abu-Warda	...	Nabeel Halaby (as Yussef Abu Warda)
Joseph Ziegler	...	Mr. Novatski
Amer Hlehel	...	Samer
Selena Haddad	...	Lamis Halaby
Jenna Kawar	...	Rana Halaby
Suheila Muallem	...	Jamileh
Brodie Sanderson	...	Matt
Andrew Sannie	...	James
Daniel Boiteau	...	Mike
Jeff Button	...	Jason (as Jeff Sutton)
Miriam Smith	...	Bank Employee

Storyline

Muna, a single mother in Ramallah, has applied for a visa to the US. When it comes, her son Fadi, an excellent student, convinces her they should go. After an incident at customs begins their exile badly, they join Muna's sister and family in Illinois. Muna needs a job: although she has two degrees and 15 years' experience in banking, she settles for work at White Castle, telling the family her job's at a nearby bank. It's spring, 2003, and the US invades Iraq. While friends come from unlikely places, Fadi meets prejudice at school. How he'll respond to it and to American youth culture and how Muna will sort things out with her family are the rest of the story. Tragedy or hope?

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Plot Keywords:

school | bank | student | white castle | single mother | 

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Taglines:

Serving up the American Dream.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Former Official site for the film - site no longer active. [United States] Official distributor's page for the film. [Australia]

Country:

USA United Arab Emirates Canada Kuwait Jordan

Language:

English Arabic French

Release Date:

17 June 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

Amerrika

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$58,823, 6 September 2009

Gross USA:

$627,436

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,176,304

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Geographic Entertainment, Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ, Levantine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Melkar Muallem, who received an "an introducing" credit for portraying Fadi.

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Goofs

Interviews and luggage searches are performed by people with "Airport Security" patches on their uniforms. These jobs would be performed by Customs officers and Immigration officers.

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Soundtracks

My Old Flame
Written by Kelly Richmond
Performed by Kelly Richmond
Published by Westar Music Publishing (SOCAN)
Courtesy of Westar Music

User Reviews

Amreeka the beautiful.

What happens when your life is turned upside down by your husband divorcing you for a slimmer, younger woman and walls are built around where you live adding hours every day to your commute to work and you spend every penny to keep your son in a private school? You take the first best opportunity that comes along to get out of that situation. Muna, a Palestinian single woman, does just that when she receives an offer to relocate free to America. This begins the adventures and misadventures of someone immigrating to America with the hopes and promises of a better life. She lands in a small town in Illinois to live (temporarily is the plan) with her sister and physician husband and teenage children until she can establish herself and son. She has two degrees and has had professional experience in the work world so it shouldn't take long - wrong! Told with humor as well as heartbreak (it's just after 9/11and anyone from the Middle East is the enemy), this National Geographic film is a reminder of why people still come to AMREEKA and how easy it is to be misunderstood and to struggle to make a living no matter how hard you are willing to work. It is worth watching by families whose children may be finding it difficult to accept those who don't talk or dress or act just like us. Changing schools as an American teenager can be very difficult. Try coming from another country, especially one we see as an adversary. Highly recommend.