The Arab Film Festival (AFF) is the flagship program of the Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that hosts the largest and longest-running independent Arab film festival in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is held in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

each year in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, San Jose,

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, 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. 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 Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( ; ; born October 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for a variety of roles ranging from comedic to dramatic on stage and screen. He has received several accolades including five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, s ...

and media critic

Jack Shaheen Jack George Shaheen Jr. (; September 21, 1935 – July 9, 2017) was an American writer and lecturer specializing in addressing racial and ethnic stereotypes. He authored ''Reel Bad Arabs'' (adapted to a 2006 documentary), ''The TV Arab'' (1984) ...

. Both serve on its advisory board. The Festival is run by Executive Director Serge Bakalian and a Board of Directors, including Feras Mousilli, Danielle Siragusa, and Hisham Zawil.

Award winners

2012 Arab Film Festival Awards * Outstanding Feature Film: Death for Sale by Faouzi Bensaidi,

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

* Outstanding Documentary Film: The Virgin, The Copts and Me by Namir Abdel Messeeh,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

* Outstanding Short Documentary: Karama Has No Walls by Sara Ishaq,

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

* Outstanding Short Narrative Winner: Farewell Exile by Lamia Alami,

* Honorable Mention: Yamo by Rami Nihawi,

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

References

{{reflist, 1=33em, refs= {{cite book , author = Alan Allen , title = A Noah's Ark of Recurring Celebration: San Francisco Annual Event History – Winners of the Human Race , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_KfjYe7cFmcC&pg=PA394 , accessdate = 16 August 2013 , date = 10 December 2007 , publisher = Trafford Publishing , isbn = 978-1-4669-8184-3 , pages = 394– , quote = 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. {{cite book , author = Stephen William Foster , title = Cosmopolitan Desire: Transcultural Dialogues and Antiterrorism in Morocco , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Uxzxuhd9T8AC&pg=PA45 , accessdate = 16 August 2013 , date = 1 January 2006 , publisher = Rowman Altamira , isbn = 978-0-7591-1024-3 , pages = 45– , quote = ... It was screened at the 9th Arab Film Festival, San Francisco (2005). On borders and boundaries as a more ... {{cite book , author = TIYM Publishing Company, Inc. , title = Asian American Yearbook: A Unique Resource and Referral Guide for and About Asian Pacific Americans , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7hkNAQAAMAAJ , accessdate = 16 August 2013 , year = 2005 , publisher = TIYM Publishing Company, Incorporated , page = 186 , isbn = 9780965654579 , quote = ARAB FILM FESTIVAL 2 Plz. Ave. San Francisco. CA 94116 Dina Saba, Director/Founder Tel: (415) 564-1100 Email: ... {{cite web , url = http://www.arabfilmfestival.org/film_detail.php?id%3D1375 , title = Arab Film Festival: San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose, Los Angeles , accessdate = 2013-08-28 , url-status = dead , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130829031911/http://www.arabfilmfestival.org/film_detail.php?id=1375 , archivedate = 2013-08-29 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 {{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104193327/http://www.neontommy.com/news/2012/10/arab-film-fest-spotlights-under-exposed-genre , date=2013-01-04 {{cite web , url = http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/New-generation-of-Arab-filmmakers-probes-2655411.php , title = New generation of Arab filmmakers probes cross-cultural tensions/Directors rooted in U.S. and Europe are drawing wide attention , website = Sfgate.com , date = 15 April 2003 , author = Curiel, Jonathon , accessdate = 17 August 2017 {{cite web , url = http://www.arabfilmfestival.org/directors , title = AFF staff , publisher = Arab Film Festival , date = 2001-09-11 , accessdate = 2013-08-16 {{cite web , url = http://www.levantinecenter.org/levantine-review/film/16th-annual-arab-film-festival-comes-la-oct-19 , title = 16th ANNUAL ARAB FILM FESTIVAL COMES TO LA OCT 19 | Levantine Cultural Center , publisher = Levantinecenter.org , date = 2012-10-09 , accessdate = 2013-08-16 , url-status = dead , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131204031524/http://www.levantinecenter.org/levantine-review/film/16th-annual-arab-film-festival-comes-la-oct-19 , archivedate = 2013-12-04

External links

Official website
Film festivals in the San Francisco Bay Area Film festivals established in 1996