loading . . . Arab Film Festival Invites Attendees into Expansive Portrayals of ‘Home’ The Arab American National Museum, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, made waves with its recent Arab Film Festival (AFF). The film festival is meant to inspire, educate, and gather community around art, culture, and important issues affecting Arab Americans and communities who support them. “Films in our program and films about our Arab communities across the world are essential and necessary to share stories, dispel stereotypes, educate the public, and highlight realities,” said Dave Serio, Curator of Education and the Arab Film Festival. “Solidarity between communities is important to stopping violence, achieving liberation, and working together to uplift each other.” The festival ran from Wednesday, May 7 through Sunday, May 11, featuring full-length films and shorts, covering topics like young romance, aging, war, occupation, expat life, and family dysfunction. It touched on multiple issues at home in the US as well across the world, including the genocide in Palestine, the humanitarian disaster in Sudan, and imperialism affecting Yemeni, Lebanese, and Syrian communities. “While we often feel powerless, coming to programs like the Arab Film Festival, choosing to watch films and listen to Arab narratives is a small but excellent way to show support and ensure these narratives are heard,” Serio said. While it was important for curators to capture the heavier realities of the Arab world, they also wanted to select films that depicted celebration and joy as well as the day-to-day mundanity of life. “We don’t want this festival to be just war documentaries because there’s so much more to our communities. There’s so much more to us as people than being victims of conflict,” said Hannah Fahoome, filmmaker and co-committee chair of the festival. Most of the films were screened in the auditorium at the Arab American National Museum. However, a few films were screened offsite at locations in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Flint, giving the festival a more expansive reach. Events featured food, late-night social hours, a poetry workshop, and interactive discussions to make members and guests feel at home. “This place is your home, and we want you to feel that way. And the more you come and support us, the more energy and resources we have to share,” Fahoome said. https://arabamericanmuseum.org/arab-film-festival-invites-attendees-into-expansive-portrayals-of-home/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=arab-film-festival-invites-attendees-into-expansive-portrayals-of-home
