Palestinian American director Cherien Dabis belongs to a new, talented and energetic group of Arab American independent filmmakers who have both the passion and the creative know-how to produce films that reflect both their experiences in a land that has not always been welcoming.
Prior to “Amreeka” Cherien Dabis was also an accomplished writer and producer, some of her credits include working on The L Word for three seasons. She is graduate of Columbia University’s Masters of Fine Arts film program and besides “Amreeka” her first feature and which is being presented at the Toronto Palestine Film Festival, she has made a variety of shorts including “Make a Wish” (2006). Let us not forget that she was named one of “Ten Directors to Watch” by Variety magazine this year.
I sat down with the charming and passionate Cherien Dabis to get a better sense of what “Amreeka” its all about.
Here is the unedited recording:
Here is also the trailer for the movie: