Film: ‘They Call Me Muslim’
Film depicts tale of two women struggling for their individual freedom one wants to wear hijab, other wants it off. TEHRAN As she opened the door and welcomed me into her home on a snowy morning in Tehran, "K" (her name is withheld to protect her anonymity) a 33-year-old mother appeared to me as an unexpected...
Sundance Channel to premiere ‘On the Road in America’
February 23rd, 20080 12-part series looks at U.S. through lens of 4 young Arabs during 10-week cross-country journey NEW YORK Sundance Channel will premiere "On the Road in America," the 12-part documentary series that follows four young Arabs as they travel across the United States, on June 4, 2008. Created by Academy Award-nominated...PBS special to premier in Detroit
International pop star Chantal Chamandy is no ordinary international pop star. She speaks six languages, has released hit songs in Canada and throughout Europe and has recorded a grand concert at the Pyramids in Egypt to be aired on U.S. television in March. Chantal Chamandy She's a very international pop star. Her father is...‘Persepolis’ provides window on lives of Iranians
In recent years, there's been a crop of memoirs from young to middle-aged Iranians recounting their experiences growing up under the Shah and witnessing the revolutionary transition from a monarchy to a theocracy. These stories vary, but many of them contain similar themes: Life was good under the Shah, the revolution happened for no...New exhibit at Museum of Contemporary Art
DETROIT Holy Hip Hop! Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Common and Russell Simmons are coming to the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). Twelve paintings featuring the royalty of hip-hop music will make their world debut at MOCAD in the exhibition Holy Hip Hop!: New Paintings by Alex Melamid, from February 8 to April 20,...Classic Arabic music in Ann Arbor
The golden age of Egyptian music has returned on "The Music of the Three Musketeers," (al-Fursan at-Talatha) by the Arabesque Music Ensemble. The three endearingly-labeled composers Zakariyya Ahmad, Muhammad al-Qasabji, and Riyad al-Sunbati wrote a large majority of pieces performed by the Arab world's most famous singer, Umm Kulthum...Movie preview gets high praise
An excited crowd of moviegoers flocked to the Uptown Palladium in Birmingham Wednesday to get an early look at Academy Award nominated Lebanese film "Caramel." Director, co-writer and lead actress Nadine Labaki attended and heard roaring laughter from the largely Arab American crowd. She received intense praise afterward from Arabs...Dearborn High graduate stars in drama at local theater
DEARBORN It's not often that a young actor receives the opportunity to work with theater professionals, yet 18-year-old Sean O'Reilly is now appearing in a drama being produced at Meadowbrook Theater. The Dearborn High School graduate is starring in "Rabbit Hole," David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize winning play, which is coming...Beirut movie ‘Caramel’ for Oscar
Writer's first offering is sexy, smart, full of style and substance A film named after the sugary stuff that Arab women cook and use to wax their legs is up for an Academy Award, as the Lebanese selection for Best Foreign Language Film. Caramel, or Sukkar Banat, scheduled to open in Detroit on February 1, features an ensemble of...‘Rendition’ affirms politico-military establishment
It has been the norm with movies about Middle Eastern events, or Middle Eastern themes, that Arab/Muslim/Middle Eastern suffering is treated with a few words or lines by a character. But suffering by someone who is white, Western, Jewish or Christian is treated with powerful imagery, often done at half-speed, with wrenching detail in...Is ‘Kite Runner’ anti-religious?
When Mr. Banks sings "Let's go fly a kite and sends it soaring up through the atmosphere" at the end of the movie "Mary Poppins," he is abandoning his workaholic, unimaginative ways and bonding with his children Jane and Michael for perhaps the first time. But they can frolic in and out of chalk drawings and on detachable carousel...HFCC offers History of Islamic Art course for Winter 2007 semester
DEARBORN Does Islamic art reflect the faith of Islam? Is there such a thing as Qur'anic iconography and how is it related to Biblical iconography? What is the role of the muqarnas (geometric design) and Arabic calligraphy in Islamic architecture? How can we identify Islamic art? As Henry Ford Community College continues to...Films explore post 9/11 Arab American reality
Dubai The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has included a special sub-section in its Arabian Nights programming segment which is dedicated to films that depict Arab life and stories in the Middle East and around the world. This year, the segment will feature a thematic grouping of films called The 9/11 Effect that delve into...‘Lions For Lambs’ hits note of realism
"Do you want to win the war on terror?" It's the central question of our times, one in which the answer not only reveals an individual political point of view, but also, if answered collectively, will determine the course of events in this so-called war. That's what lies at the heart of Robert Redford's new film, "Lions For Lambs,"...
UDM Theatre Company explores domestic fears
November 24th, 20070 The University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) Theatre Company continues to explore issues of social justice with the upcoming production of Yussef El Guindi's chilling black comedy "Back of the Throat," November 16 December 2 at Marygrove College Theatre. "Back of the Throat" is the tale of an apparently friendly visit by two......
Film, play showcase Arab issues
DETROIT Local audiences will have a rare opportunity to view "Detroit Unleaded," a new and notable short film by Lebanese-born filmmaker Rola Nashef. The fictional film is set in an inner city gas station and provides a unique perspective into the lives of young Arab Americans who operate the business and interact with...Innovative dinosaur show adds performances
DETROIT By popular demand, a second week of performances has been added to see the smash hit WALKING WITH DINOSAURS The Live Experience, at Detroit's legendary Cobo Arena, which is playing from Wednesday, Nov. 14 through Saturday, Nov. 24. Detroit is the first North American city to feature a second week of performances!......
Arab museum holds fourth annual gala
The National Arab American Museum's fourth annual gala, featuring the Egyptian national Um Kulthoum Orchestra, filled the Detroit Opera House a few weeks ago with more than 2,000 guests. The museum's third annual film festival the following weekend drew large audiences. And a new jewelry exhibit opens next week. ...Big entertainment weekend in Detroit
DEARBORN He strolls through Shatila Pastries with an entourage, and instantly you know something special's going on. Yep, it's Lebanese favorite Marcel Khalife, in town for a weekend of concerts with Al Mayadine Ensemble. The line at the register? A cashier in the middle of a transaction runs over to get her picture taken...Bellydance Superstars to hit Detroit!
Miles Copeland Miles Copeland certainly didn't invent bellydancing. Nor does he claim to have discovered the art form in America. But it would be difficult to find anyone better able to take the exotic oriental dance form mainstream. That's because Copeland has a healthy respect for Arab culture as well as the record mogul...Islamic, African American art museums team up in New Orleans
It seems like an unlikely collaboration: an exhibit of 75 paintings by more than 10 Muslim artists from five different countries, co-sponsored by Southern University at New Orleans; the New Orleans African American Museum of Art, Culture and History; and the International Museum of Muslim Cultures, Jackson, Miss. But according to the......
Festival promises first rate films
Morocco, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria without leaving Dearborn? Or better yet, without leaving the Arab American National Museum? The museum is sponsoring the third annual Arab film festival, a series of first-rate films from the Arab world. These films feature a range of different countries and narratives highlighting all...Film sparks revival of Jenin theater
HamtramckYears after the release of the award-winning, heart-crushing documentary "Arna's Children," the film's creator is traveling the world to raise money to rebuild the Palestinian youth theater that the movie centers around. Footage of smiling, hopeful faces of a group of Jenin refugee camp children juxtaposed with later images......
Ramadan show captivates audiences
DEARBORN Every night after dusk during Ramadan this year and last, Arabs around the world, Muslim or not, have been united, not by anything religious or nationalistic, but by a phenomenon known as "Bab Al Hara." The second installment of the addictive television series has had tens of millions of feverish Arabs flocking to living...Ann Arbor theatre brings Shakespeare to Baghdad
It is easy to forget Baghdad as it once was and view it only as the tragedy it is today. But once upon a time, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates was the cradle of civilization. It was the land of Scheherazade and The Arabian Nights and before that, Gilgamesh. It is the dream of the Baghdad-that-was that inspires A2CT's......