Reviews
Amira Hanafi’s Alatool
We officially start our walk outside Bab El-Nasr, one of the doors to Islamic Cairo. Amira Hanafi begins by taking a picture of my feet. This is how she... Read more
Ahmed Ahmed’s Just Like Us
Ahmed Ahmed’s directorial debut Just Like Us is hilarious and will keep you laughing as some of the most well-known international comedians perform... Read more
Project Hope: Old Conflict, Fresh Take
When I saw an exhibit of graphic novels put together by children at a school in Nablus, I felt relieved that someone was approaching the Palestinian-Israeli... Read more
Karim Fanous’s Clean Hands, Dirty Soap
Based on a story by longtime friend Adam Mourad, Karim Fanous’s Clean Hands, Dirty Soap is about a modest bathroom attendant named Hadi, who is brilliantly... Read more
Gaida’s Levantine Indulgence
One listen to any track off Gaida’s debut album Levantine Indulgence and you’ll agree that whoever dubbed her the “Syrian Nightingale”... Read more
Susan Abulhawa’s The Scar of David
When I am given a book and a time-line to read it, I usually don’t because I feel like I’m being forced into something. This was the case with... Read more
VIDEO: Bassam Saba Ensemble live at Joe’s Pub NYC
A couple weeks ago, a packed Joe’s Pub saw a very special performance by the Bassam Saba Ensemble as they celebrated the release of their long-anticipated... Read more
Trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf at Barbès
Bodies were everywhere—in chairs, against the wall, on the floor—overlapped like ice cubes in a glass. There was no room to move, let alone breathe,... Read more
More Than Jokes: 1001 Laughs Comedy Tour
“If you can get somebody to laugh, they’ll listen to whatever you have to say,” is what Amer Zahr, producer of the 1001 Laughs Arab Comedy... Read more
Dubai International Film Festival Highlights
If someone had told me last year that I would be watching the sun set in the Arabian Gulf, on the beach in a new suit as the Christmas lights illuminated... Read more
