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This shorts program (re)imagines history and heritage with an imaginative twist. From compelling biopics to absurdist satire, these stories transform the past with a fresh outlook. Runtime is 47 minutes.
A road trip to a Ziggurat in Colorado sparks connections between Arabs in the state. Filmmaker, Usama Ashaibi, embarks on a journey to the Crestone Ziggurat. His personal pilgrimage intertwines with the stories of other Arabs in Boulder who find ways of bringing their homelands to the state.
About the Filmmaker:
Usama Alshaibi was born in Baghdad, Iraq, to a Palestinian mother and an Iraqi father, and spent his formative years living between the United States and the Middle East. He’s an active filmmaker and artist, who works in documentary and fiction, often blurring the line between the two. His films have screened widely at underground and international film festivals, media exhibitions and museums. He’s received grants from organizations such as the MacArthur Foundation, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, the Playboy Foundation, and the Creative Capital Foundation for the Arts.
- Year2025
- Runtime14 minutes
- LanguageEnglish, Arabic
- CountryUnited States
- Content WarningThis film may include strong language
- DirectorUsama Alshaibi
- ProducerLauren Samblanet, Adam Sekuler
- Executive ProducerStanley Nelson, Marcia Smith, Chloë Walters-Wallace
- EditorAaron Schillinger
- MusicRaphique Barakat
This shorts program (re)imagines history and heritage with an imaginative twist. From compelling biopics to absurdist satire, these stories transform the past with a fresh outlook. Runtime is 47 minutes.
A road trip to a Ziggurat in Colorado sparks connections between Arabs in the state. Filmmaker, Usama Ashaibi, embarks on a journey to the Crestone Ziggurat. His personal pilgrimage intertwines with the stories of other Arabs in Boulder who find ways of bringing their homelands to the state.
About the Filmmaker:
Usama Alshaibi was born in Baghdad, Iraq, to a Palestinian mother and an Iraqi father, and spent his formative years living between the United States and the Middle East. He’s an active filmmaker and artist, who works in documentary and fiction, often blurring the line between the two. His films have screened widely at underground and international film festivals, media exhibitions and museums. He’s received grants from organizations such as the MacArthur Foundation, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, the Playboy Foundation, and the Creative Capital Foundation for the Arts.
- Year2025
- Runtime14 minutes
- LanguageEnglish, Arabic
- CountryUnited States
- Content WarningThis film may include strong language
- DirectorUsama Alshaibi
- ProducerLauren Samblanet, Adam Sekuler
- Executive ProducerStanley Nelson, Marcia Smith, Chloë Walters-Wallace
- EditorAaron Schillinger
- MusicRaphique Barakat