THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FROM 3/4/23.
Join the SPL and the Center for Arabic Culture for a films screening and discussion with director Raouf Zaki!
We will be hosting a screening of 3 short films directed by Raouf Zaki followed by a a short intermission and then a Q/A with Mr. Zaki on the themes and topics the films examine.
About the Films:
Just Your Average Arab - 20 min. -- A comedy in which Arab-American characters meet in the storage room of a convenience store where they take an “Arab American Survival Guide post 9/11” class. The characters learn how to change their names, appearance, and accents to look more “American” and to avoid scrutiny from a terrorist-fearing American public. What follows is a hilarious ride that combines political anxiety, comedy, satire, and a script that will cause you to laugh and think.
"['Just Your Average Arab'] is laugh-out-loud funny but the message is dead serious." -- Denise Taylor, Boston Globe
Santa Claus in Baghdad - 30 min. -- Amal is a sixteen-year old girl who has fallen a year behind in school due to illness. When she learns that her favorite teacher is leaving, she recruits her classmates to decide on a going-away present for him.
"['Santa Claus in Baghdad'] is beautiful and amazing. There are not enough films like this for students." -- Samira Phillips
Fireflies - 12 min -- When a withdrawn Middle Eastern man begins frequenting a Boston café, the headwaiter grows increasingly suspicious about the true nature of his visits.
"Fireflies couldn't be more appropriately timed and relevant if it tried." -- Carl Burgess, Screencritix
Plus we will also screen a short trailer for his feature film!
About the Director:
Mr. Raouf Zaki, originally from Egypt and based in Massachusetts for 34 years, wrote and directed several internationally awarded independent films. Santa Claus in Baghdad, described by the New York Times as a “miracle in filmmaking” for turning Boston into Baghdad, is used in hundreds of schools in the United States with a study guide developed by Harvard University. His most recent film, Fireflies, a film without dialog and winner of the Boston Film Festival, received the Sumner Redstone award at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles.
About the Center for Arabic Culture:
The mission of the Center for Arabic Culture (CAC) is to promote Arabic Culture and the Arab-American experience through education and the arts.
Questions? Contact Kerry at keodonnell@somervillema.gov.
Seating is limited so registration is encouraged.
