Arab Film Festival

Arab Film Festival
Founded1996
No. of films60 short and feature-length films
Festival dateDecember 3 to 13, 2020
Websitearabfilmfestival.org

The Arab Film Festival (AFF) is the flagship program of the Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) a nonprofit organization that hosts the largest and longest-running independent Arab film festival in the United States.[1] It is held in California each year in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, San Diego, and Berkeley.

Overview

The Arab Film and Media Institute was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1996 as the Arab Film Festival. It aimed to counter common stereotypes of Arabs shown in the media and provide opportunities for a new generation of Arab filmmakers to showcase their work.[2][3][4][5] In addition to its annual Arab Film Festival, it also hosts individual screenings throughout the year.

Leadership

Several prominent Arab-Americans have been involved with the Festival throughout the years, among them actor Tony Shalhoub and media critic Jack Shaheen. Both serve on its advisory board.[6] The Festival is run by Executive Director Serge Bakalian and a Board of Directors, including Feras Mousilli, Danielle Siragusa, and Hisham Zawil.[7][8]

Award winners

2012 Arab Film Festival Awards[9]

References

  1. ^ "16th ANNUAL ARAB FILM FESTIVAL COMES TO LA OCT 19 | Levantine Cultural Center". Levantinecenter.org. 2012-10-09. Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  2. ^ Curiel, Jonathon (15 April 2003). "New generation of Arab filmmakers probes cross-cultural tensions/Directors rooted in U.S. and Europe are drawing wide attention". Sfgate.com. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  3. ^ Stephen William Foster (1 January 2006). Cosmopolitan Desire: Transcultural Dialogues and Antiterrorism in Morocco. Rowman Altamira. pp. 45–. ISBN 978-0-7591-1024-3. Retrieved 16 August 2013. ... It was screened at the 9th Arab Film Festival, San Francisco (2005). On borders and boundaries as a more ...
  4. ^ TIYM Publishing Company, Inc. (2005). Asian American Yearbook: A Unique Resource and Referral Guide for and About Asian Pacific Americans. TIYM Publishing Company, Incorporated. p. 186. ISBN 9780965654579. Retrieved 16 August 2013. ARAB FILM FESTIVAL 2 Plz. Ave. San Francisco. CA 94116 Dina Saba, Director/Founder Tel: (415) 564-1100 Email: ...
  5. ^ Alan Allen (10 December 2007). A Noah's Ark of Recurring Celebration: San Francisco Annual Event History – Winners of the Human Race. Trafford Publishing. pp. 394–. ISBN 978-1-4669-8184-3. Retrieved 16 August 2013. The mission of the Arab Film Festival (AFF) is to enhance public understanding of Arab culture 85 to provide alternative representations of Arabs that contradict the stereotypical images frequently encountered in the American mass media.
  6. ^ Hamilton, Matt. "Arab Film Fest Spotlights Under-Exposed Genre." 23 October 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2013. http://www.neontommy.com/news/2012/10/arab-film-fest-spotlights-under-exposed-genre Archived 2013-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Who We Are".
  8. ^ "AFF staff". Arab Film Festival. 2001-09-11. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  9. ^ "Arab Film Festival: San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose, Los Angeles". Archived from the original on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2013-08-28.