Amreeka

Amreeka is a 2009 independent drama that marked the feature directing debut of Palestinian-American filmmaker Cherien Dabis, who also wrote the screenplay. It was produced as a joint Canadian-American undertaking.

The story centers on Muna, a divorced Palestinian woman living in the West Bank, who relocates with her teenage son Fadi to a suburb outside Chicago in search of a brighter future. Staying with relatives in Illinois, the pair confronts the climate of suspicion toward Arabs in the wake of September 11. Muna struggles to land work despite her qualifications, while Fadi faces hostility and adjustment problems at school, and together they try to build a new life without losing who they are.

Principal roles are played by Nisreen Faour, Hiyam Abbas, Alia Shawkat and Yussuf Abu Warda. The picture bowed at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, later screened at Cannes, drew favorable reviews and several honors, and had its distribution rights picked up by National Geographic Entertainment.