Amreeka
Encyclopedia
Amreeka is a 2009 American/Canadian/Kuwaiti
independent film
written and directed by first-time director Cherien Dabis
. It stars Nisreen Faour
, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass
, Alia Shawkat
, Yussuf Abu-Warda, Joseph Ziegler, and Miriam Smith.
Amreeka documents the lives of a Palestinian American
family in both the West Bank
and Post-9/11
suburban Chicago
. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
and opened to critical praise at a number of other important venues. National Geographic Entertainment bought all theatrical and home entertainment rights to Amreeka after its debut at Sundance.
) is a divorced Palestinian Christian
mother raising her teenage son Fadi (Melkar Muallem). She works for a bank in Ramallah
, part of the West Bank, Palestinian territories
. Each day after work, Muna picks up Fadi from school and crosses through an Israeli checkpoint in order to get to their home in Bethlehem
. She lives with her aging mother and has occasional visits from her brother Samer. One day after arriving home, Muna discovers that she has been awarded an American green card through the lottery
. Although she initially considered declining the offer, Muna reconsiders after she and Fadi are harassed at the checkpoint by Israeli soldiers.
They arrive in the United States shortly after the 2003 invasion of Iraq
to stay with her sister’s family in Illinois
. After a difficult time with customs
, Muna is reunited with her sister, Raghda Halaby (Hiam Abbass
), physician brother-in-law Nabeel (Yussuf Abu-Warda) and their three children Salma (Alia Shawkat
), Rana (Jenna Kawar), and Lamis (Selena Haddad). Later, however, Muna discovers that a box of cookies was confiscated during the customs search and is horrified: the box contained all of her life savings. Muna thus searches for work, but is disappointed to discover that her multiple degrees and work experience do not guarantee the kind of employment she is seeking. She finally takes a job at White Castle
. Too ashamed to tell her family the truth, she pretends to have been hired by the bank next door to White Castle. She maintains the facade through the help of an employee of the bank next door to White Castle (Miriam Smith) and her blue-haired high school drop-out co-worker, Matt (Brodie Sanderson).
Meanwhile, Muna begins to discover that her sister's family has been experiencing difficulties in the Post-9/11
and Iraq war atmosphere of the United States. The family receives anonymous threats in the mail and Nabeel is continually losing patients from his medical practice. They are also behind on their mortgage and risk losing their home. The strain of living in this atmosphere becomes so severe that Raghda and Nabeel temporarily "separate" and Nabeel moves into the basement of the family home.
Later, when some of the students make derogatory remarks to Fadi, he gets into a fight and his mother is called to meet with the school's principal Mr. Novatski (Joseph Ziegler). Shortly after the meeting, Mr. Novatski sees Muna waiting for her sister and insists on driving her to work. He apologizes to her for the behavior of the students towards Fadi saying that they are influenced by the media's depiction of Muslim
s. Muna is dismayed by the stereotypes he describes to her. She also informs him that she and Fadi are not Muslims, but are rather from a minority community. Embarrassed by his assumption, Mr. Novatski apologizes and says that he is a minority as well as an American Jew
whose grandparents were Polish Jews
. She is surprised to learn that he is Jewish. Muna asks him to drop her off at the bank but forgets her purse, an act which leads him to discover that she works secretly at White Castle. Deciding to have a meal there, they discover that they are both divorced.
On another day, local high school students make discriminatory remarks about Fadi to Muna while she is working in White Castle. She chases them out, only to slip on a drink one of the boys poured on the floor and falls flat on her back. Matt immediately calls her family who then discovers her secret. Furious over the incident, Fadi gets into a fight with one of the boys and is subsequently arrested. In addition to assault, ambiguous charges are also leveled towards him that are serious enough to prevent Muna from getting him released. Muna contacts Mr. Novatski who rushes to the police station and tells the officers that the accusations are without merit and that he will assume responsibility for Fadi. Fadi is thus released from jail. These events also lead Raghda and Nabeel to reconcile.
A little while later, Muna is working at White Castle and her family comes to take her to a Middle Eastern restaurant
for dinner. While leaving she bumps into Mr. Novatski and invites him to join them for dinner. Raghda teases Muna when he enters the car and the evening ends with music and dancing.
in 2003. Christina Piovesan, a producer in Toronto, read about Dabis in Filmmaker Magazine, thus leading the two of them to collaborate on '"Amreeka." Over the next three years, Piovesan gathered financing from a number of sources in the Middle East and Canada. Dabis also traveled for months in order to hold casting auditions in New York, Chicago
, Los Angeles
, Dearborn
, Toronto
, Winnipeg
, Paris, Amman
, Beirut
, Haifa
, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah. In choosing Nisreen Faour
for the lead role of Muna, Dabis commented that she "had a sweetness about her [...] a kindness and a childlike sense of wonder. There was something about her that was so youthful, and yet, I could still see in her eyes the depth of sadness that her life experience had given her.” On the choice of Melkar Muallem as Fadi, Dabis commented that he was, "the son of a Palestinian woman who helped cast the film. He wanted nothing to do with acting—both parents are actors, and he’s only interested in computer science
. I begged him to audition, and after he did, he wanted the part." Muallem is from Ramallah
, one of the locations for the film. Dabis also chose to work with film and television actors Hiam Abbass and Alia Shawkat and a theater actor from Haifa
, Yussef Abu Warda. Dabis modeled the family after her own, making them Christian Palestinians. Events surrounding the inclusion of a kind high school principal were taken from Dabis' own life. While in high school, serious accusations were leveled at her sister, who was saved by the intervention of the school principal. Dabis chose to make her fictional version of this principal, Mr. Novatski (Joseph Ziegler), Jewish-American in order to create parallel experiences related to "immigration and displacement." In another interview Dabis stated that she included this because in the United States
Arabs and Jews are friends and "we don't get to see that enough."
The scenes in the West Bank were shot on location in Ramallah while the portion of the film set in Illinois was shot in Winnipeg
. Dabis states that she chose to work in Canada rather than the United States because of "the tax incentives combined with the fact that Manitoba offered us provincial equity for shooting the film there. That was huge! It enabled us to close our financing and go into production sooner rather than later." The scenes in the Halaby home were set in the actual house of a local Palestinian family from Ramallah with three daughters close in age to the characters in the film. White Castle
was also "an enthusiastic supporter of the film" and contributed "a truckload of real White Castle supplies."
(50 fresh and 8 rotten reviews), and a 90% rating from Top Critics (18 fresh and 2 rotten reviews). On Metacritic
, the film had an average score of 73 out of 100, based on 23 reviews, indicating "Generally Favorable" reviews. American critic Roger Ebert
gave Amreeka three and a half out of four stars and described it as "Cherien Dabis' heart-warming and funny first feature."
2010 Heartland Film Festival
2010 Independent Spirit Awards
2010 NAACP Image Awards
2009 Cannes Film Festival
2009 Dubai International Film Festival
Gotham Independent Film Awards 2009
2009 National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
2009 New Directors/New Films
2009 Sundance Film Festival
L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth Vision Award.
' short feature, Make a Wish
, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
and received a number of awards at other festivals.
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
written and directed by first-time director Cherien Dabis
Cherien Dabis
Cherien Dabis is a Palestinian American director, producer, and screenwriter. She was named one of Variety magazine's 10 Directors to Watch in 2009.-Background:...
. It stars Nisreen Faour
Nisreen Faour
Nisreen Faour is a Palestinian actress best known for her role as Muna in the 2009 American film, Amreeka.Faour was born in Tarshiha, Israel and moved to the United States to study theater and performance when she was 16. She studied theater directing at the University of Haifa. She has performed...
, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbass
Hiam Abbass
Hiam Abbass , also known as Hiam Abbas or Hiyam Abbas, is a Palestinian actress and an Arab citizen of Israel. She is known for her roles in the films Satin Rouge , Haifa , Paradise Now , The Syrian Bride , Free Zone , Dawn of the World , The Visitor , Lemon Tree , and Amreeka...
, Alia Shawkat
Alia Shawkat
Alia Martine Shawkat is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Maeby Fünke in the Fox series Arrested Development.- Personal life :...
, Yussuf Abu-Warda, Joseph Ziegler, and Miriam Smith.
Amreeka documents the lives of a Palestinian American
Palestinian American
Palestinian Americans are Americans of Palestinian ancestry. It is difficult to say when the first Palestinian immigrants arrived at the United States; however, many of the first immigrants to arrive were Christians escaping persecution from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century...
family in both the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and Post-9/11
Post-9/11
Post-9/11 is a term used to describe state of living in the United States or other parts of the world after the September 11 attacks, in reference to the many changes that have occurred due to the attacks...
suburban Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
and opened to critical praise at a number of other important venues. National Geographic Entertainment bought all theatrical and home entertainment rights to Amreeka after its debut at Sundance.
Plot
Muna Farah (Nisreen FaourNisreen Faour
Nisreen Faour is a Palestinian actress best known for her role as Muna in the 2009 American film, Amreeka.Faour was born in Tarshiha, Israel and moved to the United States to study theater and performance when she was 16. She studied theater directing at the University of Haifa. She has performed...
) is a divorced Palestinian Christian
Palestinian Christians
Palestinian Christians are Arabic-speaking Christians descended from the people of the geographical area of Palestine. Within Palestine, there are churches and believers from many Christian denominations, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic , Protestant, and others...
mother raising her teenage son Fadi (Melkar Muallem). She works for a bank in Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
, part of the West Bank, Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
. Each day after work, Muna picks up Fadi from school and crosses through an Israeli checkpoint in order to get to their home in Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
. She lives with her aging mother and has occasional visits from her brother Samer. One day after arriving home, Muna discovers that she has been awarded an American green card through the lottery
Diversity Immigrant Visa
The Diversity Immigrant Visa program is a United States congressionally mandated lottery program for receiving a United States Permanent Resident Card. It is also known as the Green Card Lottery. The lottery is administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and conducted under the terms...
. Although she initially considered declining the offer, Muna reconsiders after she and Fadi are harassed at the checkpoint by Israeli soldiers.
They arrive in the United States shortly after the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
to stay with her sister’s family in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. After a difficult time with customs
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs and immigration. CBP is the...
, Muna is reunited with her sister, Raghda Halaby (Hiam Abbass
Hiam Abbass
Hiam Abbass , also known as Hiam Abbas or Hiyam Abbas, is a Palestinian actress and an Arab citizen of Israel. She is known for her roles in the films Satin Rouge , Haifa , Paradise Now , The Syrian Bride , Free Zone , Dawn of the World , The Visitor , Lemon Tree , and Amreeka...
), physician brother-in-law Nabeel (Yussuf Abu-Warda) and their three children Salma (Alia Shawkat
Alia Shawkat
Alia Martine Shawkat is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Maeby Fünke in the Fox series Arrested Development.- Personal life :...
), Rana (Jenna Kawar), and Lamis (Selena Haddad). Later, however, Muna discovers that a box of cookies was confiscated during the customs search and is horrified: the box contained all of her life savings. Muna thus searches for work, but is disappointed to discover that her multiple degrees and work experience do not guarantee the kind of employment she is seeking. She finally takes a job at White Castle
White Castle (restaurant)
White Castle is an American regional fast food hamburger restaurant chain in the Midwestern United States and in the New York metropolitan area, and the first of its kind in the US. It is known for its small, square hamburgers. Sometimes referred to as "sliders", the burgers were priced at five...
. Too ashamed to tell her family the truth, she pretends to have been hired by the bank next door to White Castle. She maintains the facade through the help of an employee of the bank next door to White Castle (Miriam Smith) and her blue-haired high school drop-out co-worker, Matt (Brodie Sanderson).
Meanwhile, Muna begins to discover that her sister's family has been experiencing difficulties in the Post-9/11
Post-9/11
Post-9/11 is a term used to describe state of living in the United States or other parts of the world after the September 11 attacks, in reference to the many changes that have occurred due to the attacks...
and Iraq war atmosphere of the United States. The family receives anonymous threats in the mail and Nabeel is continually losing patients from his medical practice. They are also behind on their mortgage and risk losing their home. The strain of living in this atmosphere becomes so severe that Raghda and Nabeel temporarily "separate" and Nabeel moves into the basement of the family home.
Later, when some of the students make derogatory remarks to Fadi, he gets into a fight and his mother is called to meet with the school's principal Mr. Novatski (Joseph Ziegler). Shortly after the meeting, Mr. Novatski sees Muna waiting for her sister and insists on driving her to work. He apologizes to her for the behavior of the students towards Fadi saying that they are influenced by the media's depiction of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s. Muna is dismayed by the stereotypes he describes to her. She also informs him that she and Fadi are not Muslims, but are rather from a minority community. Embarrassed by his assumption, Mr. Novatski apologizes and says that he is a minority as well as an American Jew
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
whose grandparents were Polish Jews
History of the Jews in Poland
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a millennium. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jewish community in the world. Poland was the centre of Jewish culture thanks to a long period of statutory religious tolerance and social autonomy. This ended with the...
. She is surprised to learn that he is Jewish. Muna asks him to drop her off at the bank but forgets her purse, an act which leads him to discover that she works secretly at White Castle. Deciding to have a meal there, they discover that they are both divorced.
On another day, local high school students make discriminatory remarks about Fadi to Muna while she is working in White Castle. She chases them out, only to slip on a drink one of the boys poured on the floor and falls flat on her back. Matt immediately calls her family who then discovers her secret. Furious over the incident, Fadi gets into a fight with one of the boys and is subsequently arrested. In addition to assault, ambiguous charges are also leveled towards him that are serious enough to prevent Muna from getting him released. Muna contacts Mr. Novatski who rushes to the police station and tells the officers that the accusations are without merit and that he will assume responsibility for Fadi. Fadi is thus released from jail. These events also lead Raghda and Nabeel to reconcile.
A little while later, Muna is working at White Castle and her family comes to take her to a Middle Eastern restaurant
Middle Eastern cuisine
Middle-Eastern cuisine, West Asian cuisine, or in some place in the United States, Persian-Mediterranean cuisine is the cuisine of the various countries and peoples of the Middle East . The cuisine of the region is diverse while having a degree of homogeneity...
for dinner. While leaving she bumps into Mr. Novatski and invites him to join them for dinner. Raghda teases Muna when he enters the car and the evening ends with music and dancing.
Cast
- Nisreen FaourNisreen FaourNisreen Faour is a Palestinian actress best known for her role as Muna in the 2009 American film, Amreeka.Faour was born in Tarshiha, Israel and moved to the United States to study theater and performance when she was 16. She studied theater directing at the University of Haifa. She has performed...
as Muna Farah - Melkar Muallem as Fadi Farah
- Hiam AbbassHiam AbbassHiam Abbass , also known as Hiam Abbas or Hiyam Abbas, is a Palestinian actress and an Arab citizen of Israel. She is known for her roles in the films Satin Rouge , Haifa , Paradise Now , The Syrian Bride , Free Zone , Dawn of the World , The Visitor , Lemon Tree , and Amreeka...
as Raghda Halaby - Yussuf Abu-Warda as Nabeel Halaby
- Alia ShawkatAlia ShawkatAlia Martine Shawkat is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Maeby Fünke in the Fox series Arrested Development.- Personal life :...
as Salma Halaby - Jenna Kawar as Rana Halaby
- Selena Haddad as Lamis Halaby
- Joseph Ziegler as Mr. Novatski
- Brodie Sanderson as Matt
- Miriam Smith as the Bank Employee (Illinois)
Production
Dabis began working on the screenplay for Amreeka while a graduate student in film at Columbia University School of the ArtsColumbia University School of the Arts
The Columbia University School of the Arts , also known simply as the School of the Arts or as SoA, is the division of the university that offers Master of Fine Arts degrees in Film, Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, and Writing, as well as a Master of Arts degree in Film Studies...
in 2003. Christina Piovesan, a producer in Toronto, read about Dabis in Filmmaker Magazine, thus leading the two of them to collaborate on '"Amreeka." Over the next three years, Piovesan gathered financing from a number of sources in the Middle East and Canada. Dabis also traveled for months in order to hold casting auditions in New York, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Dearborn
Dearborn
-Places:In the United States, all named after Henry Dearborn :* Dearborn, Michigan* Dearborn, Missouri* Dearborn County, Indiana* Fort Dearborn * Fort Dearborn , in present-day Odiorne State Park...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Paris, Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah. In choosing Nisreen Faour
Nisreen Faour
Nisreen Faour is a Palestinian actress best known for her role as Muna in the 2009 American film, Amreeka.Faour was born in Tarshiha, Israel and moved to the United States to study theater and performance when she was 16. She studied theater directing at the University of Haifa. She has performed...
for the lead role of Muna, Dabis commented that she "had a sweetness about her [...] a kindness and a childlike sense of wonder. There was something about her that was so youthful, and yet, I could still see in her eyes the depth of sadness that her life experience had given her.” On the choice of Melkar Muallem as Fadi, Dabis commented that he was, "the son of a Palestinian woman who helped cast the film. He wanted nothing to do with acting—both parents are actors, and he’s only interested in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. I begged him to audition, and after he did, he wanted the part." Muallem is from Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
, one of the locations for the film. Dabis also chose to work with film and television actors Hiam Abbass and Alia Shawkat and a theater actor from Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, Yussef Abu Warda. Dabis modeled the family after her own, making them Christian Palestinians. Events surrounding the inclusion of a kind high school principal were taken from Dabis' own life. While in high school, serious accusations were leveled at her sister, who was saved by the intervention of the school principal. Dabis chose to make her fictional version of this principal, Mr. Novatski (Joseph Ziegler), Jewish-American in order to create parallel experiences related to "immigration and displacement." In another interview Dabis stated that she included this because in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Arabs and Jews are friends and "we don't get to see that enough."
The scenes in the West Bank were shot on location in Ramallah while the portion of the film set in Illinois was shot in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
. Dabis states that she chose to work in Canada rather than the United States because of "the tax incentives combined with the fact that Manitoba offered us provincial equity for shooting the film there. That was huge! It enabled us to close our financing and go into production sooner rather than later." The scenes in the Halaby home were set in the actual house of a local Palestinian family from Ramallah with three daughters close in age to the characters in the film. White Castle
White Castle
- Castles :* The White Castle, East Lothian, once a hill fort in the Lammermuir Hills, East Lothian, Scotland, a district today known as Nunraw* The White Castle , an 11th-century castle in Wales- Food and drink :* White Castle , a U.S...
was also "an enthusiastic supporter of the film" and contributed "a truckload of real White Castle supplies."
Critical reception
As of July 31, 2010, Amreeka has received an overall rating of 86% from all critics at Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
(50 fresh and 8 rotten reviews), and a 90% rating from Top Critics (18 fresh and 2 rotten reviews). On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the film had an average score of 73 out of 100, based on 23 reviews, indicating "Generally Favorable" reviews. American critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave Amreeka three and a half out of four stars and described it as "Cherien Dabis' heart-warming and funny first feature."
2010
2010 Chlotrudis Society for Independent FilmChlotrudis Society for Independent Film
The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film is a Boston-area non-profit organization that teaches audiences to view films actively through discussion, formal and informal education, discourse, film festivals, special screenings and collaboration. Their focus is on international and independent film...
- Nominated: Chlotrudis Award for Best ActressChlotrudis Award for Best ActressThe Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress is an award given by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film to the actress or actresses whose winning performance is voted by participating members. The Chlotrudis Awards is an annual ceremony where the best of the previous year's independent and...
: Nisreen FaourNisreen FaourNisreen Faour is a Palestinian actress best known for her role as Muna in the 2009 American film, Amreeka.Faour was born in Tarshiha, Israel and moved to the United States to study theater and performance when she was 16. She studied theater directing at the University of Haifa. She has performed...
2010 Heartland Film Festival
Heartland Film Festival
The Heartland Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. First held in 1992, its goal is to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."In May 2007, Heartland...
- Won: One of Top Ten Truly Moving Pictures For 2009
2010 Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Nominated: Independent Spirit Award for Best FilmIndependent Spirit Award for Best FilmThe Independent Spirit Award for Best Film is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.-1980s:* 1985: After Hours - Martin Scorsese** Blood Simple - Joel and Ethan Coen** Smooth Talk...
- Nominated: Independent Spirit Award for Best First ScreenplayIndependent Spirit Award for Best First ScreenplayThe Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay is one of the annual awards given by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers.-1990s:1994*David O...
- Nominated: Independent Spirit Award for Best Female LeadIndependent Spirit Award for Best Female LeadThe Film Independent's Spirit Award for Best Female Lead is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
- Nisreen FaourNisreen FaourNisreen Faour is a Palestinian actress best known for her role as Muna in the 2009 American film, Amreeka.Faour was born in Tarshiha, Israel and moved to the United States to study theater and performance when she was 16. She studied theater directing at the University of Haifa. She has performed...
2010 NAACP Image Awards
- Nominated:Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
2009
2009 Cairo International Film Festival2009 Cairo International Film Festival
The 33rd annual Cairo International Film Festival was held from November 10 to November 20, 2009. Indian director Adoor Gopalakrishnan was the President of the Jury.-Films in competition:The following films competed for the Golden Pyramid....
- Won: Best Arabic Film - Cherien Dabis (director), Christina Piovesan (producer)
- Won: Best Arabic Screenplay - Cherien Dabis (director)
2009 Cannes Film Festival
2009 Cannes Film Festival
The 62nd annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 13 to May 24, 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert was the President of the Jury. It was announced on March 19, 2009, that Pixar's film Up would open the festival...
- Won: Firpesci Prize - Cherien Dabis
- Official Selection: Directors' FortnightDirectors' FortnightDirectors' Fortnight is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. The section was created in 1969 after the events of May 1968, in which the Cannes festival was canceled in solidarity with striking workers....
2009 Dubai International Film Festival
Dubai International Film Festival
The Dubai International Film Festival is an international film festival based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched in 2004, it aims to foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world.-Overview:...
- Won: Muhr Award, Best Actress: Nisreen Faour
Gotham Independent Film Awards 2009
Gotham Independent Film Awards 2009
The 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards were held on November 30, 2009.-Best Feature:The Hurt Locker*Amreeka*Big Fan*The Maid*A Serious Man-Best Ensemble Cast Performance:The Hurt Locker*Adventureland...
- Nominated: Best Feature
2009 National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr.'s revocation of moving-picture exhibition licenses on Christmas Eve 1908. The mayor believed that the new medium...
- Won: One of Top Ten Independent Films.
2009 New Directors/New Films
- Official Selection: Opening Night
2009 Sundance Film Festival
2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
- Official Selection: Dramatic competition Sundance
2007
The screenplay was presented with the $15,000 Tribeca All AccessTribeca Film Institute
-Mission:The Tribeca Film Institute is a year-round non-profit arts organization founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in the wake of September 11, 2001...
L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth Vision Award.
DVD
The DVD of the film was released on January 12, 2010. It contains a number of deleted scenes and outtakes. It also includes director Cherien DabisCherien Dabis
Cherien Dabis is a Palestinian American director, producer, and screenwriter. She was named one of Variety magazine's 10 Directors to Watch in 2009.-Background:...
' short feature, Make a Wish
Make a Wish (2006 film)
Make A Wish is a 2006 Palestinian-American short film by Cherien Dabis. It tells the story of Mariam, an 11-year-old Palestinian girl who faces enormous obstacles buying a birthday cake. It premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and received a number of awards at other festivals. It was...
, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
2007 Sundance Film Festival
The 2007 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18 until January 28, 2007 in Park City, Utah with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah and Ogden, Utah. It was the 23-rd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival...
and received a number of awards at other festivals.
Further reading
- Khayat, Rasha. "From the West Bank to Small-town America." 2010.
- Legel, Laremy. "Interview: Cherien Dabis Talks Amreeka." September 27, 2009.
- Matchan, Linda. "A story she needed to tell." September 25, 2009.
External links
- Official Amreeka Interview Part 1 at National Geographic