May 9, 2023
SWANA APPRECIATION: Some Famous Faces of Palestinian Descent
May Calamawy / Saleh Bakri / Sanaa Abubkheet / Saint Levant / Bella and Gigi Hadid / Mo Amer / Elyanna / Hiam Abbass / Mousa Kraish
seen from Italy
seen from Argentina
seen from United States
seen from South Africa
seen from Philippines
seen from Russia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Barbados
seen from Sweden
seen from Australia
seen from Morocco
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from Yemen
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from T1
SWANA APPRECIATION: Some Famous Faces of Palestinian Descent
May Calamawy / Saleh Bakri / Sanaa Abubkheet / Saint Levant / Bella and Gigi Hadid / Mo Amer / Elyanna / Hiam Abbass / Mousa Kraish
Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir’s audacious feature melds fact, fiction and captivating figurines to lay bare a hidden personal and national history . Asmae recreates the events around a government atrocity using doll-like figures, akin to Cambodian director Rithy Panh’s 2013 Cannes winner The Missing Picture. But in this instance, the focus is Morocco’s 1981 Bread Riots. Asmae’s father helps construct the scene, crafting a replica of the family’s former home and environs, to creating models of family, friends and former neighbours. Asmae’s mother provides support with needle, thread and fabric scraps. The finely detailed miniatures, and amusing juxtapositions of scale, create a place where memories can roam and long-held secrets can be revealed. Asmae’s fearsome grandmother is mightily dismissive of the process, raging equally against her tiny replica doll and her granddaughter’s ever-present camera. As recollections surface and terrible truths are revealed, the old woman remains stubbornly determined to leave history undisturbed, as all those around her confront the trauma of the past.
The Mother Of All Lies (2023). Dir. Asmae El Moudir
Slave To Sirens / Dua Saleh / Saint Levant / AZADI.mp3 / System Of A Down / Lana Lubany / Bibi Bourelly / Mahmood / Mashrou’ Leila
SWANA APPRECIATION: Some Musicians of SWANA Descent
SWANA APPRECIATION: Some Famous Faces of Tunisian Descent
Sonia Ammar / Azza Slimene / David Mazouz / Marwan Kenzari / Ons Jabeur / Iman Meskini / Hend Sabry / Noël Wells / Khookha McQueer
SWANA APPRECIATION: Some Famous Faces of Iraqi Descent
Alia Shawkat / Fabien Frankel / Jwana Karim / Zaraah Abrahams/ Wafia Al-Rikabi / Alex Uloom / Andy Serkis / Zaha Hadid / Yasmin Paige
Salma Hayek Pinault / Sara Mardini and Yusra Mardini / Haluk Levent / Shervin Hajipour / Zoe Saldaña / Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi / Bella Hadid
SWANA APPRECIATION: SWANA Faces Featured On Time's 100 Influential People Of 2023
SWANA APPRECIATION: Some Famous Faces of Turkish Descent
Jenny Slate / Mona Tougaard / Zoe Kazan / D’Arcy Carden / Omar Sakr / Türkan Şoray / Deniz Akdeniz / Pınar Deniz / Kaan Urgancıoğlu /
Some TV Shows Created By SWANA/MENA Creatives
Paranormal, created by Ahmed Khaled Tawfik (Egyptian)
Mr. Robot, created by Sam Esmail (Egyptian)
Chad, created by Nasim Pedrad (Iranian)
The Platform, created by Hozan Akko (Syrian)
AlRawabi School for Girls created by Tima Shomali (Jordanian)
Ramy, created by Ramy Youssef (Egyptian)
Jinn, created by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, Elan Dassani, and Rajeev Dassani
Severance, co-written by Mohamad el Masri
The Bisexual, created by Desiree Akhavan (Iranian)