Arab Film Distribution

When Arab Film Distribution began "spreading the word" about Arab Cinema, they had only five films in our library, the titles they had acquired after the first ever Arab Film Festival at the 1990 Goodwill Arts Games in Seattle. The charm of these films seduced the audience and highlighted a profound enthusiasm for Arab Cinema. The distribution project began soon after that as an effort to maintain a permanent flow of Arab films - their version of a year round festival. Since then, AFD has provided U.S. and Canadian theaters, universities, colleges, museums and media centers with many Arab films of high artistic and educational value. The AFD catalog and audience appreciation for it have grown steadily.

For more than 15 years, Arab Film Distribution has been a leader in bringing the finest works of Arab cinema to North American audiences.

Their collection contains films made in countries ranging from Morocco in the west to Iraq and Afghanistan in the east - including numerous works from Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon by acclaimed directors such as Youssef Chahine, Mai Masri and Merzak Allouache. In AFD's extensive catalog you'll find a wide array of distinguished feature films, such as Ali Zaoua, Prince of the Streets from Morocco; The Dupes, a Syrian film adapted from Ghassan Kanafani's famous novella Men Under the Sun and prestigious classics of Egyptian cinema such as Struggle on the Nile, a sensual drama from 1959 starring a young Omar Sharif. The catalog also includes many engaging documentaries covering a variety of subjects related to the Middle East, including: The Letter: An American Town and ‘The Somali Invasion’, which examines the difficulties of Somali refugees who settle in Lewiston, Maine, while the recent creation of Iraq's new constitution is explored in Return to the Land of Wonders and Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt examines the life of the great Egyptian singer.

Arab Film Distribution.

Films

Good Kurds, Bad Kurds

A war of national liberation or a war against terrorism?

The Color of Olives

A story of everyday life in Palestine.

Breaking Bread

"A poetic, cross-cultural examination of the universal themes of family and loss, captured with unblinking clarity." - The Hollywood Reporter

The Children of Ibdaa

A documentary focusing on the lives of several young people in a Palestinian dance troupe from the Dheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank.

The Arab American Comedy Tour

Three Arab-American comedians perform in Dearborn, Michigan and Seattle, Washington.

About Baghdad

This documentary traces the journey of Sinan Antoon, a poet and journalist who left Iraq in 1991 to flee what he calls "the whole stifling atmosphere of Saddam and tyranny."

Adrift On The Nile

A group of hedonistic middle-aged friends who gather each night on a luxurious houseboat for dancing, love-making and smoking hashish.

Arabs & Terrorism

A multi-faceted documentary project filmed on location in 11 countries with 120 experts and politicians as well as hundreds of street interviews examining the dominant discourse on terrorism in the U.S. and Europe.

The Letter: An American Town and "The Somali Invasion"

This documentary explores what American news outlets have dubbed the Somali Invasion of Lewiston, Maine - an insulated, predominantly white former mill town.

A Man In Our House

This film offers a vivid depiction of the Egyptian resistance to the British occupation and features some of Egypt's finest filmmaking talents.

Mother of the Bride

This madcap comedy explores Egyptian courtship and marriage customs of the 1960s while relaying a delightfully entertaining story the entire family will enjoy.

Nazrah: A Muslim Woman's Perspective

An intimate look at a diverse group of Muslim women living in the Pacific Northwest.

The Nightingale's Prayer

A gripping portrait of a courageous young woman's rebellion against tradition and poverty.

T.V.'s Promised Land

Disney's Aladdin, Indiana Jones.., Warner Brothers' cartoons of crazed Middle Eastern villains, international terrorists... These are America's pop culture depictions of Arabs and Muslims.

Until When...

Set during the current Intifada, this documentary follows four Palestinian families living in Dheisheh Refugee Camp near Bethlehem.

Ripples Cross

The astounding video record of the director's journey into the heart of the Mid East conflict,

The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror

Filmmakers Ungerman and Brohy assess the results of the U.S. attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan.

Occupied Minds

Two journalists journey to Jerusalem to explore solutions into the divisive Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Return to the Land of Wonders

Moving between the political sphere and everyday life on the streets, this film offers a unique glimpse into the resilience of Iraqis as they struggle to sustain their lives and to fight off a sense of despair and defeat.

The Tornado

A gripping study of the complexities of the civil war in Lebanon.

Brothers and Others

This documentary chronicles the impact of 9/11 on Muslims and Arabs in America.