Arab American National Museum (AANM) Arab Film Festival is proud to recognize and elevate amazing filmmakers who are coming onto the scene and making a huge impact! Believe it or not, these films are the first creations for these directors. These films focus on a wide variety of topics but are all beautifully created. Whether we're in need of that Arab American superhero to fight Islamophobia, making difficult choices to care for our family, cultivating new beginnings back in our homeland or emerging as an entrepreneur, these films are brought to life by emerging filmmakers, filmmakers to be aware of.
This short block of films is available for streaming to all audiences across the globe between August 12-21, 2022.
Katherine, a first-generation Lebanese American, only knows Lebanon through the stories her father told her. Ali, her great-grandfather, was orphaned at 6 and sent in a barrel across the Mediterranean Sea, then imprisoned and tortured in a camp they never taught Katherine about in American schools. In death, Ali was buried in an unmarked grave in the cemetery al ghoraba, the cemetery of strangers. To honor the life of her great-grandfather, Katherine returns to Lebanon to build a sabil, a traditional water fountain, and attempts to discover her own belonging in a place far from home.
About the Filmmaker
Katherine Eid is a first time Lebanese-American filmmaker. Always fascinated by the stories her father told her about his native Lebanon, Katherine traveled to the Middle East to make A Spring for Ali, a documentary about her great-grandfather’s life while restoring a freshwater spring in his honor. She believes we all have giants in our family who survived against all odds so that we could exist. Our true inheritance is their stories which teach us how to survive, to be grateful, and how to serve the future.
- Year2022
- Runtime25 minutes
- LanguageArabic, English
- CountryUnited States, Lebanon
- RatingPG
- DirectorKatherine Eid
- ScreenwriterKatherine Eid
- ProducerKatherine Eid
Arab American National Museum (AANM) Arab Film Festival is proud to recognize and elevate amazing filmmakers who are coming onto the scene and making a huge impact! Believe it or not, these films are the first creations for these directors. These films focus on a wide variety of topics but are all beautifully created. Whether we're in need of that Arab American superhero to fight Islamophobia, making difficult choices to care for our family, cultivating new beginnings back in our homeland or emerging as an entrepreneur, these films are brought to life by emerging filmmakers, filmmakers to be aware of.
This short block of films is available for streaming to all audiences across the globe between August 12-21, 2022.
Katherine, a first-generation Lebanese American, only knows Lebanon through the stories her father told her. Ali, her great-grandfather, was orphaned at 6 and sent in a barrel across the Mediterranean Sea, then imprisoned and tortured in a camp they never taught Katherine about in American schools. In death, Ali was buried in an unmarked grave in the cemetery al ghoraba, the cemetery of strangers. To honor the life of her great-grandfather, Katherine returns to Lebanon to build a sabil, a traditional water fountain, and attempts to discover her own belonging in a place far from home.
About the Filmmaker
Katherine Eid is a first time Lebanese-American filmmaker. Always fascinated by the stories her father told her about his native Lebanon, Katherine traveled to the Middle East to make A Spring for Ali, a documentary about her great-grandfather’s life while restoring a freshwater spring in his honor. She believes we all have giants in our family who survived against all odds so that we could exist. Our true inheritance is their stories which teach us how to survive, to be grateful, and how to serve the future.
- Year2022
- Runtime25 minutes
- LanguageArabic, English
- CountryUnited States, Lebanon
- RatingPG
- DirectorKatherine Eid
- ScreenwriterKatherine Eid
- ProducerKatherine Eid