You Can Keep Tickling Giants but the Giant Isn’t Laughing
If you are a dictator please stop reading this review now to prevent being tickled (or prodded). There will be tears. Whether those tears are from witnessing the political turbulence in Egypt starting with the Egyptian revolution in 2011, or…
Review of Lavash and Laughter – Humor in the Arab World
Last week I attended Professor Sellman’s event on humor, Lavash and Laughter. For a brief summary, the event went very well. Our wonderful classmate, Adam, brought food from Lavash Café including hummus, shawarma (lamb and chicken), falafel, gyro making material,…
The Square: A Journey of Hope and Despair
The Square, an award winning 2013 Documentary masterpiece, by director Jehane Noujaim, takes audiences right into the heart of the Egyptian Revolution. In her film, Noujaim follows the events of the Egyptian Revolution over the course of three turbulent years,…
Gad Elmaleh’s “American Dream”
Gad Elmaleh’s Netflix special, “American Dream”, is his first English spoken comedy special. Being from a Morocco and growing up in France, Elmaleh utilizes his comedy show to explain his comedic life starting over after arriving in America, after being…
Film Review: Omar
The film “Omar” is a Palestinian movie directed by Hany Abu-Assad and starring Adam Bakri. The film was released in 2013 and first shown in the Cannes Film Festival. It also was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at…
Underneath the Insult: can years of frustration between nationalities be solved by a court case?
For the average Western viewer, The Insult presents an unfamiliar concept: clashing Arab nationalities. Most people in the West see the Arab world as a cohesive unit as opposed to countries with independent cultures, languages, religions, and nations. The Insult…
The Idol: A Story of Hope
This 2016 film by director Hany Abu-Assad, tells a fictionalized version of the true story of how Mohammad Assaf, a young boy born in Gaza, Palestine during the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, rose above the trials and hardships of life in a…
Wael Ghonim’s “Inside the Egyption Revolution” Tedx 2011
“Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.” -Voltaire Wael Ghonim is an internet activist and computer engineer at Google. Ghonim, one of the driving forces of the Egyptian revolution, discussed the power of the people and overcoming…
Najwa Najjar’s “Eyes of A Thief” Captures The Hearts of Audiences With A Political Film Exploring Themes of Forgiveness And Love
Renowned Palestinian filmmaker Najwa Najjar is back yet again with another touching and compelling plot in the film, “Eyes of A Thief”. The filmmaker was under much pressure to make a politically inclined film as tensions between the Israeli and…
Asking The Questions We Avoid: A Film Review of “The Insult”
The Insult, directed by the renowned and controversial Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri, is an intense, thought provoking film. Critics worldwide have praised it and it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2018 Oscars. However, it has sparked…