Arab American Comedy Tour. Ahmed Ahmed, Dean Obeidallah and Maysoon Zayid, dirs. 2006, US, 95’. Arab Film Distribution (www.arabfilm.com), $19.99 home / $150 institutional.
Just Your Average Arab. Raouf Zaki, dir. 2006, US, 19’. www.filmondigital.com/jyaa, $25 personal / $200 institutional. This pair of videos showcases the universality of comedy—no passport needed. The daring performers in Arab American Comedy Tour shed light and humor on what it means to be Arab–American in today’s political climate through stand-up comedy routines. In the satire Just Your Average Arab, Arabs and Muslims from the Indian subcontinent meet in the storage room of a convenience store for a class on Arab–American post-9/11 survival. Leading man Ahmed Ahmed’s lampooning of stereotypes illustrates why he won the first Richard Pryor Award for Ethnic Comedy. (SO07)

Bab’Aziz: The Prince Contemplates His Soul. Nacer Khemir, dir. 2005, Tunisia/France, 96’. Arabic with English subtitles. This is the whimsical tale of Bab’Aziz, a wise old blind man who journeys with his spirited granddaughter, Ishtar, in search of a legendary gathering said to take place somewhere in the eternal desert. The pair travels from the Atlantic shores of the Maghreb all the way to Iran. Bab’Aziz knows that if he “listens to the infinite silence of the desert with his heart,” he will find the place. Along the way, the pair encounters a series of fellow travelers whose stories help unlock ancient mysteries and contemporary truths. The film is a vast, lush feast for the eyes and heart by a veteran Tunisian storyteller. (SO07)

Battle for Islam. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2006, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Turkey, 63’. English with some subtitles. vhs 978-1-4213-4191-0, DVD 978-1-4213-4192-7, Films for the Humanities and Sciences (www.films.com), $149.95. Ziauddin Sardar, a renowned British scholar of Pakistani origin, travels to Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia interviewing a variety of Muslims, from heads of state to hairdressers and wedding singers. Their wide swath of political beliefs and cultural and religious practices illustrates the diversity that flourishes in the wide range of cultures of Asia and North Africa. This far-reaching exploration of Islam after 9/11 is refreshingly optimistic, suggesting—despite the documentary’s title—that the faith will focus on its core principles of equality and justice rather than extremism. (SO07)

Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul. Fatih Akin, dir. 2006, Turkey, 90’. English/German/Turkish. $22.99. The identity of modern Istanbul is told through its music. Arab, Iranian, US and European styles, rhythms and instruments illustrate the city’s blend of eastern and western cultures, and show how Turks are addressing issues ranging from Eurofication to minority rights in music. The documentary follows Alexander Hacke of the avant-garde band Einstürzende Neubauten as he roams the streets of Istanbul, recording an inspired portrait of Turkish music. It ranges from neo-psychedelic to fusion and rock, from digital dervish to break-dance, and from acclaimed clarinetist Selim Sesler to street performers Siya Siyabend, Kurdish singer Aynur and legendary divas Müzeyyen Senar and Sezen Aksu. (SO07)

Goal Dreams. Maya Sanbar and Jeffrey Saunders, dirs. 2006, Israel/Palestine/Egypt, 84’. English and Arabic. Arab Film Distribution (www.arabfilm.com), $24.99 home / $300 institutional. The Israeli occupation is shown as experienced by the Palestinian national soccer team. Gathered from the Palestinian diaspora, players from Chile, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sweden and the US meet in Egypt to train for a World Cup qualifying match while their teammates from Gaza are delayed indefinitely at the border. The documentary illustrates the effects of the occupation on sport: players unable to train or compete on their home turf, violent deaths of friends in Palestine, and the challenges of creating a unified team from players with vast cultural differences. (SO07)

Iran: A Cinematographic Revolution. Nader Takmil Homayoun, dir. 2006, Iran/France, 98’. Farsi with English subtitles. First Run/Icarus (www.frif.com). $125 rental / $440 purchase. Iran’s is one of the most highly regarded national cinemas in the world, regularly winning festival awards and critical acclaim for films which combine remarkable artistry and social relevance. This documentary by a French-born filmmaker traces the development of the Iranian film industry. Film clips and interviews with filmmakers, critics, government officials and industry executives illustrate the close relationship between cinema and politics, from the decades-long rule of the shah to the rise of Khomeini, the birth of the Islamic Republic and the devastating war with Iraq. Influences include Russian cinematographers fleeing the Bolshevik revolution, 1950’s Hollywood spin-offs, dissidents testing the limits of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and 1980’s antiwar films. (SO07)

Linda and Ali: Two Worlds within Four Walls. Lut Vandekeybus, dir. 2005, Qatar, 94’ minutes. English and Arabic. Women Make Movies (www.wmm.com). $89 schools, public libraries and select groups / $295 universities, colleges and institutions. Linda is American, Ali is Qatari. She grew up Catholic, he Muslim. They live in Doha, have been married 20 years and have seven children. This documentary by a Belgian filmmaker candidly portrays the joys and challenges of a long-term marriage. Many of the issues are universal—she wants more attention, he wants more freedom—but others are specific to Muslim families in a Gulf state, such as hesitancy over letting one of their daughters participate in gymnastics. Yet Linda and Ali Saigal’s enduring devotion and friendship have sustained them over the years, proving that love can be greater than cultural differences. (SO07)

A New Day in Old Sana‘a. Bader Ben Hirsi, dir. 2005, Yemen, 86’. Arabic with English subtitles. cd Universe, $18.49 (www.cduniverse.com) Arab Film Distribution, $400 institutional use (www.arabfilm.com). Yemen’s first feature film is a light-hearted yet message-laden tale of the struggle between true love and tradition. We get to be insiders in women’s spaces and conversations, filmed among the walled gardens, narrow alleyways and latticed tower homes of the old city. The narrator, an Italian photographer, provides a framework for the tale of a stolen wedding dress, a girl dancing alone at night on a dark street and the bumbling police officers who try to solve the crime. (SO07)

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People. Jack Shaheen. 2006, Media Education Foundation, 1-932869-00-X, $29.95 (home viewing); $250/$150 (college/high school viewing). Jack Shaheen is America’s leading critic of Arab stereotypes in entertainment media, but he’s no wild-eyed pundit—more like Mr. Rogers telling you there’s a problem in the neighborhood. In 50 minutes he’ll change the way you watch a lot of movies. (Do hear him out before popping for, say, this spring’s action-thriller “The Kingdom.”) First, he says, there came “Arabland,” a “mythical theme park” framed by “ominous music,” with an oasis inhabited by foolish, wastrel “pashas on their pasha cushions,” surrounded by lovely harem maidens but always casting a shifty eye and/or brandishing a glinting sword at a (blonde) western heroine. In the ’70’s, the Palestinian–Israeli conflict, the Arab oil embargo and the Iranian revolution raised nightmares in the American psyche that Hollywood soothed with triumphalist action films filled with terrorist Arabs, relentlessly cruel and motivated by unfathomable hate—the modern equivalents of whooping, doomed Indians in westerns. Much of this would be mere silliness, Shaheen argues, if it weren’t for the fact that “policy enforces mythical images, and mythical images enforce policy.” “The stereotype will begin to change,” he says, “when Arabs and Muslims are projected as we project other people—no better and no worse.” He points to new, smart films: the moral dilemmas of Palestinian wannabe suicide bombers in “Paradise Now”; the magnanimity of Saladin in “Kingdom of Heaven”; the diversity of Gulf War characters in “Three Kings”; and the mix of unflattering honesty and idealism in “Syriana” (Shaheen was a consultant for these last two), as well as the rise of Arab comedians on television. “We’ve unlearned our prejudices against many other people,” he concludes. “Why not Arabs and Muslims? The key is not to remain silent.” (MA07)

Transparency. Osama Al-Zain, dir. 2002, US, 30'. English. National Film Network (www.nationalfilmnetwork.com). $19.95, incl. libr. circ. rights / $109.95, incl. public perf. rights (non-paying audiences). Is the hijab, or head scarf, that some Muslim women wear an expression of faith, political protest, cultural identity or oppression? Muslims living in the US, both foreign-born and native-born, share diverse views and personal experiences. With the rights and responsibilities of Muslim women among the most contentious issues of the day, and the hijab the example most fraught with East–West tensions, this documentary makes an important contribution to understanding. (SO07)

Twenty Years Old in the Middle East. Amal Moghaizel, dir. 2003, Jordan/Syria/Lebanon/Iran, 52’. Arabic/Farsi/English. First Run/Icarus Films (www.frif.com). $75 rental / $390 sale. Filmed after the fall of Saddam Hussein, this documentary takes the pulse of young people in Jordan, Syria, Iran and Lebanon. “There are big games being played in the region. Great strategies are decided for the Middle East. We are powerless. All people can do is suffer,” notes an Iranian theology student and aspiring mullah who sings in a heavy metal band. It’s a feeling echoed throughout the region. “We lack ideals,” says a university student in Beirut. “The Arab myth is fading. We don’t know where to look for references. We are lost.” Wary of the future, these university students crave freedom and want to feel pride in themselves and their cultures. For many, dreams and hopes coexist with hopelessness and despair. This is an indispensable snapshot of youth who desire liberty over extremism. (SO07)