STATS
Favorite Scent: Sea Water
Best Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs, Baked Beans, Orange Juice & Coffee
First Movie: Peter Pan

1. What makes a film worth making?
Film-making is essentially storytelling. Generally speaking, a film is worth making when you find a compelling story to tell, whether it be character-based or plot-driven.

As a director who interprets another writer’s script, I find it essential to be able to connect with the story on some level. This connection could be with something as broad as the underlying theme of the story itself, or with something as specific as a character or even a moment.

2. What is the funniest thing that has happened to you while making a film?
While shooting Alla Fein, my thesis film at the New York Film Academy, the camera operator accidentally broke wind right in the middle of a take. It was towards the end of a relatively tense and dialogue-heavy scene. We had already shot quite a few takes and the actors were getting tired. As soon as they heard the sound, the actors actually paused for a split second and then tried to carry on with the scene. Everyone in the room heard it and tried to pretend that nothing had happened while holding their laughter back, but I couldn’t resist.

The cast and crew then went on a laughing spree and although it took another couple of takes before they managed to regain composure, it definitely helped relieve some of the day’s stress.

3. How did the story for Clean Hands, Dirty Soap come to you? Did you approach Adam or did he find you?
Adam and I are childhood friends. We’d already worked on a couple of projects together before and were searching for a new concept for a short film. We were at his place re-watching True Romance and when it ended, we both commented on how much we loved the mood of the film, particularly the chemistry between Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. Adam suggested a story that is based around the day-to-day life of a bathroom attendant, which I instantly found interesting. We proceeded to shoot ideas back and forth until we came up with a treatment.

4. How long have you been making films and how did you get into it?
I have been in the field for over eight years now. While pursuing my Bachelors degree at the American University in Cairo in Economics, I happened to take an elective course in Film History. Throughout the course, I was exposed to a lot of different films that I never had the opportunity to see prior to that. Some of them were brilliant. It was very refreshing to watch films that were not contemporary, mainstream Hollywood blockbusters. The one that absolutely stood out for me was Francois Truffaut’s Les 400 Coups. After watching it, I decided to minor in Film. I graduated from AUC in 2002 and got a job at a local production company — Misr International Films. I worked there for a couple of years, mainly as an editor, then traveled to New York to attend the Film Directing course at NYFA. The whole experience there was incredibly rewarding, and I came out of it with my first short film — Alla Fein. Fortunately, the film had a good run on the festival circuit, which gave me the required momentum to pursue further independent projects such as Clean Hands, Dirty Soap.

5. What can we look forward to next? Where can we see your film(s) next?
Adam and I are currently developing a feature-length script, which we hope to finish throughout 2010. Clean Hands, Dirty Soap is still showing at various international film festivals, and should be available for viewing online by the end of the year.

6. If you could work with any actor, who would it be and why?
I can’t say that there is one particular actor I would like to work with over all others. I think it would have to depend on the script and the nature of the role. Although, after recently watching Inglourious Basterds, I believe Christoph Waltz could probably interpret any role thrown at him — in any language.

The film becomes vivid and stunning in its simplicity — Fanous makes each shot count (see gallery) in this 25 minute reel. And Mourad’s story about Hadi is refreshing — his inner monologues verge on poetry, giving dimension to the often overlooked, avoided bathroom attendant who becomes self-actualized when an unlikely visit one night to a seedy cabaret finds him cast under the spell of a superstitious belly dancer Nour, played by Farah Youssef. The center of many a lewd reproach, she too longs for more than her bleak future can promise. But you’ll have to watch for yourself to see what happens when Hadi and Nour meet.

Clean Hands, Dirty Soap has claimed the Jury Prize in the Egyptian National Film Festival and Best Short Film Award in the San Francisco Arab Film Festival, among others. The film will be available online soon and fans can look forward to Fanous and Mourad teaming up again for an upcoming feature.

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Can you name all five languages? List them in the comments and get a free track…

1. Sean Paul ft. Zaho – “Hold My Hand”

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2. Gaida – “Almaya”


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3. Omar Offendum – “Hustle On”


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4. Sarah Shafey – “Catch Me”


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5. Nuriya – “Ya Vete”


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Let us and the artists know what you think by leaving a comment below…

What Omar Offendum has done with this song (off his upcoming album SyrianamericA) is brilliant. Not only has he translated and interpreted one of Nizar Qabbani’s greatest poems (originally sung by Abdel Halim Hafez), he did so with depth. If you’ve ever been asked to translate the meaning of a classical Arabic song to English, you’ve no doubt traveled the tripped-up path that is trying to explain the un-explainable. What takes one or two words in Arabic can take 10 or 20 in English. And it almost always sounds corny. But not here. Props to Omar — he’s touched the untouchable, preserved it’s spirit and given it a new life that will no doubt take it to new places and new ears.

Read the original poem >>.

And here’s Abdel Halim singing the original:

Nabil Elderkin strikes again. Just sit back and enjoy this one ’cause it’s beautiful. Pass this along and you’re guaranteed to brighten up someone’s day.

Sunday – Film
Eyad Zahra’s The Taqwacores:

Trailer:

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Thursday – Music
The Paranoids (Omar Offendum + Ragtop + The Narcicyst) will be performing at the Immortal Entertainment showcase.

Date: Thursday 3/18 @ 8pm
Venue: Club 115 (115 San Jacinto)

Check out this track:

The Narcicyst will also be performing in the M FOR MONTREAL showcase earlier that day:

Date: Thursday 3/18 @ 6:30pm
Venue: Paradise on 6th (401 east 6th Street)

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Imaad Wasif:

LA-based rocker Imaad Wasif is also doing SXSW the right way, with four shows in one day!

All shows on Thursday 3/18

3pm
Venue: Spaceland/Echo @ Antone’s (213 W. 5th St)

5pm
Venue: 604 E 6th St above El Sol y La Luna

6pm
Venue: The NAIL/Distiller SXSW Day Party @ The Side Bar (602 E. 7th St)

8pm
Venue: Halle Cabana 6

Check out this video from Imaad:

With an emphasis on fit and bringing out a woman’s natural beauty, it’s no wonder his designs are adored by trendsetters and celebrities alike. Besides Queen Rania, his designs have adorned Penelope Cruz, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, and most recently Kim Kardashian and Keri Hilson (see gallery).

Rami Kashou

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Rami’s story is fascinating. After arriving in the U.S. in 1996, he worked in retail, which eventually led to a buying and merchandising position at a boutique in Los Angeles. After a stint of traveling to Europe as a buyer, he purchased two sewing machines and vigorously studied pattern making. “I would buy a piece, take it apart and inspect it, then I would learn,” he says. After three years of this self-education, he began creating the “One of a Kind” collection, which was picked up by various Los Angeles boutiques. The rest is history…

STATS
Hero: Coco Chanel and Alexander McQueen
Favorite Material: Silk
Song/Singer: Elissa “Tesaddaq Bi Meen”

1. What is the difference between style and fashion?
Fashion is a trend of the moment and it expires the minute the season is over. Whereas style does not have to be fashionable, it’s someone’s self-expression, it’s the way they dress, the way they present themselves — often the two merge.

2. If you could create an outfit for any model or actress, who would it be and why?
Angelina Jolie. I admire her purpose beyond being a huge Hollywood celebrity. She’s obviously beautiful, but what I appreciate is her sense of simplicity and I respect that she does not fall victim to every trend out there. She always shines in what she wears, and

it’s all about the person wearing the dress not the dress wearing the person.

3. What is the funniest or scariest thing that has happened to you during a fashion show?
In my Fall 2004 show, we were getting ready for the finale. In any venue things are likely to be dirty at times — rolling racks and things like that…anyway, the models were all lined up and as the show is about to start, I look at a model in one of the gowns and she has two huge rust stains on the front of the gown. I mean, it’s only a dress but at the time it was a really big deal — if you had dug me a hole and buried me, that would have been fine. I had to have my publicist do a therapy session on me and then we tried to save the dress — we tried to clean it with a wet wipe, blow-dried it — all within a matter of minutes. There was a tie in the front of the dress, so I ended up tying it strategically to fall where the stain was and we pinned it, so it stayed put. That same dress ended up on the front of the calendar for the Los Angeles Times a few days later.

4. What are the best attributes of a designer?
Creativity. A sixth sense — you’re always living in the future as a designer because you have to predict what’s to come. Understanding the psychology of the female (if you’re designing for women) — mind, body, spirit, everything because

fashion is not about making dresses, it’s about making people feel good.

Technicality: to be able to sew, make patterns, speak the language and communicate with the people who do that work, if you’re not. And finally, you have to be adventurous.

5. Where do you get your inspiration?
It could be anything, my last collection (see gallery) was inspired by Frank Gehry’s architecture in the Los Angeles Disney Concert Hall — there were sharp lines, curved lines and I just saw the draping. It could be an old movie or Grecian sculptures, once it was [Mehmet] Erté sketches, there’s really no limit, it’s just what speaks to me, what I respond to, and what I feel.

Some of Rami’s inspirations

6. How did you make the transition from being a designer to becoming a brand?
That’s all about constantly pushing and marketing, putting the work out there. You can be a designer, you can be very talented, very creative but if you don’t have the left-brain, business mind or don’t exercise that, it’s almost impossible to be a brand. It’s a very challenging thing to do — a brand needs a large sum of money, a clear point of view that makes it unique and distinct from other things in the market, and it needs to remain focused and find the balance between creativity and consistency. Because when you identify with a certain brand there needs to be that certain element that remains familiar — the thing that makes it memorable. And it’s important to stay true to yourself and not completely change every season.

For more on Rami’s work, visit www.ramikashou.com

Making the Cut…
Love him or hate him, you have to admit Michael Moore has taste when some amazing films by Arab-Americans make his “20 Best Pictures I Saw in 2009″ List — Amin Matalqa’s Captain Abu Raed comes in at No. 3 followed by Annemarie Jacir’s Salt of This Sea at No. 18. If you haven’t seen them yet — do it!

This historical fiction book follows the Abulheja family, Palestinians from Ein Hod, a village ethnically cleansed by Israel in 1948, a process which left over 750,000 Palestinians homeless. The story is narrated by Amal, who recounts a series of events common to many Palestinian families. Amal’s brother, a toddler named Ishmael is lost amidst the madness when the family is expelled from their village and taken by a Jewish family. He is raised as an Israeli named David and goes on to become a soldier, only to find out his real identity through a series of events that brings him and his Palestinian family together. Amal’s mother loses her mind due to several of these misfortunes. Her brother joins the armed struggle prevalent in the camps after the 1967 War, and finally, Amal gets an opportunity to escape her destiny in the camp and realize her dreams by studying abroad.

What Abulhawa manages to do is provide readers with a history lesson that doesn’t flow like a textbook, but more like a touching and often heartbreaking novel that deals with family, love, identity, courage, displacement and a variety of other strong themes close to some, if not all, Palestinians’ hearts. The book travels through time and invites readers to journey through Palestine pre-Nakba; Palestine after the establishment of the state of Israel and the creation of the refugee problem; the Six-Day War of 1967 and its consequences; the Sabra and Shatila massacres in Lebanon; the Lebanese Civil War; up through the 2002 massacres at Jenin Refugee Camp, all via Amal’s storytelling.

Though the book starts off slow, it picks up after the development of the characters and the exile of the Palestinians. While the Palestine-Israel conflict is known to many, detailed accounts of the expulsion of the Palestinians and their continued struggle isn’t. If you know someone who is interested in finding out more about the conflict, let them start with this piece of fiction before moving on to the complicated research. They’ll appreciate it.

This book was also published under the title Mornings in Jenin. Buy on Amazon >>

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About the Author: Danah Abdulla was not born in Canada but has lived here since the age of two. A Palestinian with a degree from the University of Ottawa in something other than Engineering (Mass Communications, minor Commerce), she lives in Toronto where she works as a Digital Cultivator for a big advertising agency. She’s a freelance writer and a blogger. She likes to doodle, read, make jokes, and dance.

Rania and model Jenna Hurt walk down the Red Carpet

Rania and Jenna pose backstage

Rania shows her design to the press

Posing with Oscar

I walked up the short set of stairs of The Complex in Hollywood’s Theater District, into the narrow hallways lined with people leaning against walls as they waited for their casting call. It is a small building containing several theatres and studios under one roof. I opened the door to my destination, where a set of bleachers were filled with serious, but welcoming students with their eyes set on the stage, ready to absorb some comic knowledge.

During a break, Khalil and Shrime exchanged a witty repartee as they discussed the premise of the workshop.  Their collaborative spirit, intent to create, and an apparent interest in paying their experience forward leave me inclined to coin them the Arab Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

Did this develop out of a lack of opportunity?
Ryan: It developed because of the process of getting good roles.  We want to have at our hands a plethora of material, and in order for that to happen we have to be the ones to produce it.
Ronnie: We have to create for ourselves if we’re going to move into the position we want.
Ryan: [Middle Easterners] complain about stereotyping, but we can’t expect someone who grew up in Middle America to understand our experience.  We have to start doing our part.

What kind of advice do you have for people trying to get their foot in the door, either on or off stage?
Ryan: Keep moving,
Ronnie: If you’re a writer, keep writing. If you’re an actor, keep acting.
Ryan: Get a job that barely pays the bills so that you can stay hungry. Yea, stay thirsty.
Ronnie: Stay hungry, but not literally. (chuckling)
Ronnie: This business is not, and never will be easy.
Ryan: Don’t ever give yourself a time limit, which is actually something comedian, David Zucker, said that stays with me.
Ronnie (bantering): I’ve got an idea, but I’ll just wait a year to write it down.
Ryan: Also, everyone should be on actorsaccess.com. Networks do something called Diversity Showcase for their own casting, to promote a commitment to diversity.

Can people use their own material to audition?
Ryan: Some networks, like CBS for example, will allow your own material. But most give you the material for an audition. We actually had some people get representation after the ME Comedy Festival through this showcase, and one girl ended up testing for a pilot.

Ronnie and Ryan invited two sketch comedy pros, Jodi Miller and Kimberly Lewis, to lead the workshops — they were high energy, and hilarious to watch. Their crash course crammed all the comedic formulas and set-ups, providing insight into the genius behind the laughs. I had the opportunity to pick the two comic brains…

What do you consider the most challenging part of writing comedy?
Kim: The tendency to get in your own way by over-thinking things, getting stuck in your head, and critiquing or blocking yourself and your creativity as you go. I encourage my students to cultivate a sense of playfulness when they are going to write and perform comedy. One of my favorite quotes is, “Genius is the ability to call up childhood at will.” We all spend years putting on all kinds of armor to protect ourselves in the world, and then we have to try to strip that away as performers and writers to get back to that childlike sense of play. If you think about it, the comedians we love and admire the most are the ones having the most fun.
Jodi: Focusing on one main thing in the sketch. Many times people try to fit too many elements into a scene, which makes it somewhat confusing for the audience.  Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.

You crammed a lot into two days! Was it fun giving a crash course?
Kim: Yes, it was very fun. Learning comedy is really in the doing, not in the talking about it– writing, performing, and throwing material against the wall to see what sticks.
Jodi: It was a lot of fun teaching this class…I wish we had more time.  Still, I was very impressed with the work everyone did.  Some really funny sketches came out of this and I really hope they all continue to write more material.

They have undoubtedly been inspired to do exactly that.

The sketch workshop attracted, as the title suggests, “Middle Eastern” applicants. For all intents and purposes, the term here is applied culturally as opposed to geographically. About twenty participants made the cut, including Rachid Sabitri, an English actor of Morroccan origin who has done theatre, television, and film work for high-ranking networks such as HBO and the BBC. He is interested in pursuing Arab-Israeli relations in his writing — this workshop serves as a step forward in his work.

The first day wraps up with some reminders. Students are expected to write their own sketches by the next session. In an effort to quell their nerves, Khalil heeds a reminder that the goal of the experience is “to get to know each other, and be able to bounce ideas off one another. You are going to attract your kind of funny, so just write what you want.” Shrime emphasizes, “even if it sucks.”

If you’re in NYC, the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival is sponsoring a similar workshop this Sunday, March 14. Details here>>

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About the Author: Born and raised in Southern CA, Lana Daoud can find herself at home just about anywhere. She has a degree in History with a minor in Middle East Studies, and is currently a fellow of NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership For Change based in Los Angeles. Home is where the next great experience lies, heart belongs to her nieces, roots are in Palestine.

Yasmin Mahrous

STATS
Favorite movie: I like so many, but have to watch one twice for it to be a favourite
Designer: Tom Ford
Board game: I don’t like games

1. From where do you draw your inspiration and motivation?
Designing and sketching are primary motivations for me as a fashion designer. And that’s because it’s the creative aspect of running this business. Everything around can inspire me, but usually art wins.

2. You have the afternoon off, or better yet, the day. What do you do for kicks?
Spend it with friends and family. But when you’re a fashion designer, you usually don’t get any time away.

3. Music is an important backdrop in the creative fields. Who or what style of music do you like for a working soundtrack?
I love all types of music. But for a working environment, I prefer lounge music. It’s incredible how well my partner Stephen knows music. He is starting to produce and mix. So I think we’ll be involved in music soon. Frame will be both fashion and music.

4. 2009 was a fine year for Frame Fashion, and with an awesome response to your Spring/Summer 2010 collection in Toronto. What can we expect from you in 2010?
This week, we’ll be doing the Fall/Winter 2010 look-book photo shoot. It’s my favourite collection. We’re using a new fabric company, and the fabric is awesome. The fabric actually inspired a couple of the designs. In Fall/Winter 2010 we’re dedicated to merging vintage and contemporary style with fine art to get a sense of timeless fashion.

5. Your day just crashed, and you have deadlines and events that can’t wait. How do you recover? Or whom do you call for a pep-talk and emotional support?

Usually you don’t have time to talk to anyone for emotional support in this industry. You have to stay focused, and supervise everything yourself.

And it’s great that we are a two partner design team, so when someone can’t deal with a certain situation the other one steps in and helps.

6. Where is your favorite city for fashion: both on the street and on the runway?
Milan is the best.

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About the Author: Pete Willows is a Canadian freelance writer. He has lived and worked in Egypt, The United States, New Zealand, the Sudan and Canada. He currently lives in the Toronto area with his family.

Over $3,000 were raised for victims of the earthquake in Haiti at the concert, held at The Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew in NYC on Sunday, February 28. The concert included an eclectic range of performances, in addition to the orchestra’s already diverse selection of songs. Their fluid transition from classic Arabic songs, to a rock tune with Tool cover band Right in Tool, and to West African trio Balla Kouyate was remarkable. And Maestro Bassam Saba’s transitions from flute to nay to oud topped it off.

Check out more photos from the event below…

Nagi Youssef blesses the concert with a prayer song

Balla Kouyate (balafon) and sister Taba (singing) move the crowd

Mariana Saba sings a cover of The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun”

Today, the term is used interchangeably, but whatever form it takes, when done well, it can be the embodiment of hip-hop at its finest — as proven here by The Narcicyst. In a packed Public Assembly (Brooklyn, NYC), a little over halfway through his set, the DJ’s equipment failed. Left with his mic, the stage, the following act Audiopharmacy’s spur-of-the-momentness and an eager crowd, he saved the day and showed us what freestyle is all about — creating a beautiful hip-hop moment. Watch the video, then leave a little freestyle of your own for us in the comment section…

STATS
Favorite Word: Most recently, “contraflow.”
Favorite Place to Write: Public Library
Coffee or Tea: Tea

1. What was the book that made you want to become a writer?
In college, I really liked a short story collection called Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill — she writes about sex, unappealing scenarios, and low self-esteem very interestingly, very bold.

2. What brings you more joy teaching or writing?
Writing. It’s not that I don’t like [teaching], it’s a lot of work and I don’t like having less time to write, but it is also rewarding.

3. Was writing a choice?
No, I felt it wasn’t a choice because there wasn’t anything else I knew how to do, or ability and talent. And I did write a lot,

it’s like exercise, you don’t really enjoy doing it, but you feel good afterwards — it’s such a wretched activity.

4. Towelhead was a very complex book, what was the process of writing that book like?
That was my first novel and I didn’t really know how to write a novel. I wrote 100 pages of it and then I threw away all those pages because I realized that the voice was wrong, my editor helped me find that out — I was trying to sound really literary with that version but it just wasn’t right, so I started over and started writing in this depressed teenage-girl way and that was much better. No writer sits down and decides, I want this to be complex, they just sit down and decide they want to tell a story.

You just have to tell the best story and the best story is a complex story. It helps to have some elements laid out in the beginning, and have a general idea of what you want but you have to really be able to surprise yourself. You’re the first audience member, so you have to be able to surprise yourself.

5. What can your readers look forward to next?
Another novel and a memoir, slowly but surely I’m trying to get them done. I really like writing screenplays and I’m interested in writing a television show.

6. What are the traits that make a good writer or storyteller?
Succinct, funny…you should be willing to let your stories be ugly, let ugly things happen. You should never be boring, people spend money to buy books, there’s nothing I hate more than buying book and then I can’t get through it, I feel like I should get a refund.

1. MC Rai “Clandestine”

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2. The Narcicyst – “One Thing"


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3. Omar Offendum – “The Flip”


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4. Jean Marie Riachi featuring Abir Nehme – “Ana Bhebak”


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5. Tony Khalife – “Alap – Eastern Wind”


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Let us and the artists know what you think by leaving a comment below…

OK. There’s really only one word I can use to describe this: Bonkers. If you haven’t heard of Nabil Elderkin, you’ve certainly seen his work (BEP’s “Mas Que Nada”, Mos Def’s “Supermagic” and more). And if you weren’t a fan of this song in it’s original form, my guess is you will be now — because Kanye went back in and took the music to a whole new level for this version. Sleepy Hollow meets the darker, colder sister of Sade’s “By Your Side” video set meets Nabil’s brilliant direction. In my dictionary, bonkers is beautiful.

The brilliance of this film is captured in its perfect juxtaposition of a world empowered by dreams to the harsh realities of life’s everyday struggles. Director Amin Matalqa carefully illuminates some of society’s greatest challenges.  He brings thoughtful attention to the heart-wrenching pain of domestic violence as well as to poverty’s disenfranchisement of a child’s right to education through forced labor. Additionally, he explores the intersections of different socioeconomic classes via the mediums of friendship and trust. Through the story of a pilot named Nour, the film relates the experience of enduring the cruel void of yearning for companionship without finding an individual with whom to share life’s joys. With an incredible level of sophistication and wisdom, the movie reflects on society’s misgivings and its effects on the inner depths of human emotion.

The film is elegant in every possible aspect—from the cinematography to the acting to the musical score—and its beautiful images will linger pleasantly in your mind long after it has stopped rolling. Matalqa captures the most precious of moments with his lens, those such as Captain Abu Raed sharing tea with the remembrance of his late wife on their rooftop terrace overlooking the cityscape of Amman cast in the tranquil light of dusk, or the nostalgic image of boys hanging liberated arms outside of a moving car window marveling as the forces of wind simulate the sensation of airplane wings taking flight, or the joyful laughter of children reveling in stories of adventure under a sun-splashed crystal blue sky backdrop amidst the stone facades of the old city, their eyes lighting up with visions that assuredly transcend the narrow horizons imposed upon them by the imbalances of society.

Ultimately, Captain Abu Raed is a film that reminds us of the true meaning of heroism. It lies not in the hollow glamour of modern day sensationalism, but rather in the often unheard footsteps of everyday people standing up for the integrity of what is right. Although the Abu Raeds of this world rarely bask in the glory of their greatness, this film may serve as a tribute to all of the incredible, yet humble people that enrich humanity with every day of their lives.

Captain Abu Raed is now available on DVD >>

In the meantime, check out the trailer…

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About the Author: Half-Korean, Half-Egyptian, and having lived and worked with inspiring children in Southeastern Africa and throughout Central and South America, Nader Kim El-Mallawany revels in the diverse richness of the human spirit that shines brightly throughout all reaches of our world.  With love for his family and brethren … and in hopes that justice, tranquility, and human kinship will prevail within our lifetimes … he is ever grateful for the celebration of life that art graciously enlightens upon us all.

STATS:
Arial or Helvetica: Helvetica!!!
Favourite Arab dialect: Egyptian, like Nour El-Sherif speaks it.
MAC or PC: Forever Mac!

1. Can you take us through the process of putting together a font?
It starts with an idea that you would sketch out on paper or on a computer. You decide what the design brief is, and go ahead and turn that idea into a typeface that fits the brief. This includes a lot of drawing and redrawing letterforms, and a long process of testing the typeface to see how it works in text. The final phase is font production where the typeface is generated as a working font software.

2. Being a “font maker” isn’t really the usual thing to do, so I’m curious, how did it all begin?
We had an amazing teacher, Samir Sayegh, who gave an Arabic Typography class in university. He got me interested in this topic and I very quickly developed a strong desire to draw Arabic letters. It’s a very small niche, but very fulfilling.

3. How does it feel to be the creator of a font, something people will use day in and day out and will show up on posters, papers, etc?
It’s immensely gratifying. I get a lot of amazing emails from people who love my fonts. It seems that this often overlooked domain touches peoples’ hearts on a very deep level. You wouldn’t expect it, but it’s true.

4. If you had to choose your favourite font, which one would it be, and why?

Of my fonts, it’s a tie between Koufiya, Frutiger Arabic, and Palatino Arabic. Of others it would be Adobe Arabic.

5. Do you feel that the Arab world will ever appreciate typography the same way they appreciate Arabic calligraphy?
If it were done well, then definitely, yes.

6. Where would you ideally like to see your work?
Somewhere far and unexpected. It’s always a jolt when you recognize your own typeface being used. I usually want to go stand next to it and start telling people that it’s mine. Thankfully, I don’t do that.

For more on Nadine and her fonts, visit her blog >>

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About the Author: Danah Abdulla was not born in Canada but has lived here since the age of two. A Palestinian with a degree from the University of Ottawa in something other than Engineering (Mass Communications, minor Commerce), she lives in Toronto where she works as a Digital Cultivator for a big advertising agency. She’s a freelance writer and a blogger. She likes to doodle, read, make jokes, and dance.