Time to tune in to the latest episode of Indie Beat!
Our guest is filmmaker/teacher Usama Alshaibi, an Iraqi-American located in Boulder, Colorado. In 2003, the director went to Us-occupied Baghdad and shot his first feature-length documentary “Nice Bombs.” Part political non-fiction and part video diary, the movie is both a layered look at the Iraq War and a unique, intimate look at a place (and people) that are unfortunately not offered such a profile in other films observing the post-9/11 world (take note: the film is free streamin’ below, just for a week).
Continue reading Podcast: Indie Beat Talks With ‘Nice Bombs’ & ‘American Arab’ Director Usama Alshaibi at The Playlist.
Our guest is filmmaker/teacher Usama Alshaibi, an Iraqi-American located in Boulder, Colorado. In 2003, the director went to Us-occupied Baghdad and shot his first feature-length documentary “Nice Bombs.” Part political non-fiction and part video diary, the movie is both a layered look at the Iraq War and a unique, intimate look at a place (and people) that are unfortunately not offered such a profile in other films observing the post-9/11 world (take note: the film is free streamin’ below, just for a week).
Continue reading Podcast: Indie Beat Talks With ‘Nice Bombs’ & ‘American Arab’ Director Usama Alshaibi at The Playlist.
- 3/8/2017
- by Christopher Bell
- The Playlist
Identity is a funny thing. Defining ourselves is our first step in defining the world around us, especially in the way that we define others. Or “the other.” So, what happens when one spends his formative years as “the other” in an otherwise fairly homogeneous culture?
At once, American Arab — the latest provocative documentary by Usama Alshaibi — is both profoundly personal and culturally inquisitive. It is the first grand statement in a discussion that has been begging to take place since September 11, 2001: What is the role of the Arab in modern American society?
For his previous two feature-length films, Alshaibi has been toying with notions of his identity, whether directly in the documentary Nice Bombs in which he returned to his hometown of Baghdad, Iraq following the ouster of Saddam Hussein, or through proxy in his fiction film Profane, about a female sex worker struggling with her religious background.
At once, American Arab — the latest provocative documentary by Usama Alshaibi — is both profoundly personal and culturally inquisitive. It is the first grand statement in a discussion that has been begging to take place since September 11, 2001: What is the role of the Arab in modern American society?
For his previous two feature-length films, Alshaibi has been toying with notions of his identity, whether directly in the documentary Nice Bombs in which he returned to his hometown of Baghdad, Iraq following the ouster of Saddam Hussein, or through proxy in his fiction film Profane, about a female sex worker struggling with her religious background.
- 7/16/2014
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 21st annual Chicago Underground Film Festival, which will run April 2-6 at the Logan Theater, will be extra special this year. Why? Because Mike Everleth, the Executive Editor of the Underground Film Journal, is sitting on this year’s festival jury! And looking over the fest lineup below, he is incredibly excited to witness this visual extravaganza of revolutionary cinematic madness. (Other jurors are Brian Chankin, Therese Grisham and Alison Cuddy.)
Opening Night Film: What I Love About Concrete is the debut feature by the directing team of Katherine Dohan and Alanna Stewart and is a surreal suburban tale about a teenage girl who believes she is transforming into a swan.
Closing Night Film: Usama Alshaibi will be making his triumphant return to Chicago with his latest documentary, American Arab, a personal and sociological examination of what it means to be an Arab in a post-9/11 United States. This...
Opening Night Film: What I Love About Concrete is the debut feature by the directing team of Katherine Dohan and Alanna Stewart and is a surreal suburban tale about a teenage girl who believes she is transforming into a swan.
Closing Night Film: Usama Alshaibi will be making his triumphant return to Chicago with his latest documentary, American Arab, a personal and sociological examination of what it means to be an Arab in a post-9/11 United States. This...
- 3/28/2014
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Choosing Bad Lit: The Journal of Underground Film’s 2011 Movie of the Year came down to a near dead heat. There were two movies that came out this year filled with such grand ambition, artistry and skill that the decision almost came down to a tie before ultimately settling on the singular Movie of the Year tradition.
That movie this year is Usama Alshaibi‘s Profane, a spectacular triumph of uncompromising vision, extreme daring and intimate personal expression. There was simply no other film like it this year — underground or otherwise — and its only rival of sheer audacity of the past several years was last year’s Movie of the Year pick, Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then.
And yes, I did say there was almost a tie this year. The first runner-up is a film that achieved greatness for several different reasons than Profane‘s accomplishments.
But, before I get to that close runner-up,...
That movie this year is Usama Alshaibi‘s Profane, a spectacular triumph of uncompromising vision, extreme daring and intimate personal expression. There was simply no other film like it this year — underground or otherwise — and its only rival of sheer audacity of the past several years was last year’s Movie of the Year pick, Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then.
And yes, I did say there was almost a tie this year. The first runner-up is a film that achieved greatness for several different reasons than Profane‘s accomplishments.
But, before I get to that close runner-up,...
- 12/20/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Happy Mother’s Day! Let’s get to it:
This week’s Must Read is j. j. murphy’s review of the Candy Darling documentary Beautiful Darling. Murphy usually writes about indie film screenplays, but I also really like his writings on Warhol, since I’ve been a Warhol nut since college.For Artforum, Amy Taubin reviews James Fotopoulos’ new feature Alice in Wonderland, which just made its World Premiere at Brooklyn’s Microscope Gallery. Taubin said it was a must see and now I’m dying to see it, too.Also, Fotopoulos has totally relaunched his company Fantasma Inc. on the web. Check out their new redesigned homepage, then hit ‘em up on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and subscribe to the blog.For Time Out Chicago, Patrick Friel interviews the legendary Ken Jacobs about his lesser-discussed live-performance pieces.Bob Moricz was wowed by a Cinema Project screening of the films of William Eggleston.
This week’s Must Read is j. j. murphy’s review of the Candy Darling documentary Beautiful Darling. Murphy usually writes about indie film screenplays, but I also really like his writings on Warhol, since I’ve been a Warhol nut since college.For Artforum, Amy Taubin reviews James Fotopoulos’ new feature Alice in Wonderland, which just made its World Premiere at Brooklyn’s Microscope Gallery. Taubin said it was a must see and now I’m dying to see it, too.Also, Fotopoulos has totally relaunched his company Fantasma Inc. on the web. Check out their new redesigned homepage, then hit ‘em up on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and subscribe to the blog.For Time Out Chicago, Patrick Friel interviews the legendary Ken Jacobs about his lesser-discussed live-performance pieces.Bob Moricz was wowed by a Cinema Project screening of the films of William Eggleston.
- 5/8/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
In his still relatively young, yet incredibly prolific, career, Iraqi-American filmmaker Usama Alshaibi has mostly exhibited three very distinct and separate styles in his approach to his films.
There are the highly sensual and sexual portraits of women, such as Traumata, Gash and Organ Molly. There are the serious and personal documentaries, such as Nice Bombs and the still-in-production American Arab. And there are his gonzo, transgressive “comedies” such as The Amateurs and The Foreigner.
However, for his latest feature-length, fictional narrative film Profane, Alshaibi has melded all of those styles into a singular, cohesive vision that is, as of now, his most accomplished work.
Have You Seen This Movie? (Leave Your Own Review)
Although Profane is a portrait of a young, female Muslim sex worker, Muna (Manal Kara), one can’t but help to feel that the film’s raw, naked emotional level comes from a highly autobiographical place.
There are the highly sensual and sexual portraits of women, such as Traumata, Gash and Organ Molly. There are the serious and personal documentaries, such as Nice Bombs and the still-in-production American Arab. And there are his gonzo, transgressive “comedies” such as The Amateurs and The Foreigner.
However, for his latest feature-length, fictional narrative film Profane, Alshaibi has melded all of those styles into a singular, cohesive vision that is, as of now, his most accomplished work.
Have You Seen This Movie? (Leave Your Own Review)
Although Profane is a portrait of a young, female Muslim sex worker, Muna (Manal Kara), one can’t but help to feel that the film’s raw, naked emotional level comes from a highly autobiographical place.
- 4/25/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Iraqi-American filmmaker Usama Alshaibi was viciously attacked and beaten Saturday night in an apparent hate crime attack. While attempting to attend a party in Fairfield, Iowa — where he’s been residing with his wife Kristie since last summer — Alshaibi was repeatedly punched and kicked by a group of men spouting racial epithets.
Alshaibi was walking home by himself after midnight after having dinner with friend Manuel Tsingaris. Passing by one house out of which he heard loud noises, the filmmaker asked a woman standing outside where the party was going on.
When the woman told him the party was upstairs, Alshaibi attempted to enter whereupon he was asked what his name was. When he answered “Usama,” he was immediately punched in the face. Four young men then started calling Alshaibi a “sand nigger” and “Usama Bin Laden” while ferociously beating him. After falling to the ground, the men continued to kick him.
Alshaibi was walking home by himself after midnight after having dinner with friend Manuel Tsingaris. Passing by one house out of which he heard loud noises, the filmmaker asked a woman standing outside where the party was going on.
When the woman told him the party was upstairs, Alshaibi attempted to enter whereupon he was asked what his name was. When he answered “Usama,” he was immediately punched in the face. Four young men then started calling Alshaibi a “sand nigger” and “Usama Bin Laden” while ferociously beating him. After falling to the ground, the men continued to kick him.
- 3/8/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Hey, we all know how search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing work. You create a web site or page, a search “spider” crawls through your content and figures out what your site or page is all about. Then, based on that determination, doles out a link to your site to the search engine’s visitors looking for the kind of content you created.
That’s all true, but the problem is that an entire industry, a disreputable one, has sprouted up to take advantage of how search engines rank links, ensuring that junky web pages filled with misleading ads end up at the top of Google’s search results while your legitimate web page end up somewhere on Page 20. To understand just how bad this situation is, read this article by Alan Patrick.
But, that’s what happens in free marketplaces. Instead of getting mad about it, the trick...
That’s all true, but the problem is that an entire industry, a disreputable one, has sprouted up to take advantage of how search engines rank links, ensuring that junky web pages filled with misleading ads end up at the top of Google’s search results while your legitimate web page end up somewhere on Page 20. To understand just how bad this situation is, read this article by Alan Patrick.
But, that’s what happens in free marketplaces. Instead of getting mad about it, the trick...
- 2/4/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
So, what’s it really like for Arabs living in America these days? Filmmaker Usama Alshaibi — who was born in Iraq, but raised mostly in the U.S. — knows intimately the troubles and tribulations that comes with living with that particular heritage. Embedded above is a 13-minute sampling from his upcoming documentary from Kartemquin Films, American Arab. Part personal history and part profile of other Arabs living in America, this documentary gives a voice to an overtly misrepresented and misunderstood segment of our population.
I’ve been chronicling this film’s production and early promotion quite a bit already, so I was personally very excited to finally get quite this extensive sneak peek. In my earlier articles, I typically mention Alshaibi’s previous documentary, Nice Bombs (Amazon | Netflix), which is about his own personal journey back to Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. However, I’ve refrained from considering...
I’ve been chronicling this film’s production and early promotion quite a bit already, so I was personally very excited to finally get quite this extensive sneak peek. In my earlier articles, I typically mention Alshaibi’s previous documentary, Nice Bombs (Amazon | Netflix), which is about his own personal journey back to Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. However, I’ve refrained from considering...
- 11/17/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Nov. 12
7:00 p.m.
Columbia College – Ferguson Theatre
600 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, Il 60605
Hosted by: Kartemquin Films
The stalwart documentary film company, Kartemquin Films, is pairing up with the Chicago Council on Arab Affairs and Columbia College for this special event to honor Arab Heritage Month in Chicago.
Kartemquin will be previewing clips from the still in-progress documentary American Arab by Usama Alshaibi. In addition to the screening, there will be a panel discussion with Alshaibi, who will be joined by Marquette University sociologist Louise Cainkar and Roosevelt University professor David Faris. Roxane Assaf of the Chicago Council on Arab Affairs will moderate.
Alshaibi is an Iraqi-American filmmaker who previously explored his heritage in the documentary Nice Bombs, in which he chronicled his first trip back to Iraq as an adult following the expulsion of Saddam Hussain.
In 2009, American Arab became the first recipient of Kartemquin’s Diversity Fellowship, a...
7:00 p.m.
Columbia College – Ferguson Theatre
600 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, Il 60605
Hosted by: Kartemquin Films
The stalwart documentary film company, Kartemquin Films, is pairing up with the Chicago Council on Arab Affairs and Columbia College for this special event to honor Arab Heritage Month in Chicago.
Kartemquin will be previewing clips from the still in-progress documentary American Arab by Usama Alshaibi. In addition to the screening, there will be a panel discussion with Alshaibi, who will be joined by Marquette University sociologist Louise Cainkar and Roosevelt University professor David Faris. Roxane Assaf of the Chicago Council on Arab Affairs will moderate.
Alshaibi is an Iraqi-American filmmaker who previously explored his heritage in the documentary Nice Bombs, in which he chronicled his first trip back to Iraq as an adult following the expulsion of Saddam Hussain.
In 2009, American Arab became the first recipient of Kartemquin’s Diversity Fellowship, a...
- 11/9/2010
- by screenings
- Underground Film Journal
On Thursday, Aug. 5 in Chicago at the Stan Mansion, Kartemquin Films is hosting a special benefit event for the new documentary by Usama Alshaibi, American Arab, a personal documentary analyzing what it’s like to be an Arab American living in a post-9/11 world. The event will feature live music, Middle Eastern food, a raffle, belly dancing, henna tattoos as well as the World Premiere of clips from the upcoming film. Information on tickets can be found here.
Alshaibi is an American citizen of Iraqi descent who previously directed the award-winning documentary Nice Bombs — available on DVD for sale or rent — that chronicled his return to the country of his birth after over 20 years following the expulsion of Saddam Hussein by U.S. forces.
While American Arab will also feature Alshaibi’s personal experiences as an Iraqi-American, including his mother’s suggestion he change his name following the 9/11 terrorist attacks,...
Alshaibi is an American citizen of Iraqi descent who previously directed the award-winning documentary Nice Bombs — available on DVD for sale or rent — that chronicled his return to the country of his birth after over 20 years following the expulsion of Saddam Hussein by U.S. forces.
While American Arab will also feature Alshaibi’s personal experiences as an Iraqi-American, including his mother’s suggestion he change his name following the 9/11 terrorist attacks,...
- 8/2/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
June 26
8:00 p.m.
Fat Rabbit
1711 S. Halsted,
Chicago, Il 60608
Hosted by: Usama and Kristie Alshaibi
Married Chicago transgressive filmmakers Usama and Kristie Alshaibi will be screening a selection of films the couple have made together and individually between 1998 and 2010. The screening will include both 16mm films and video. Plus, there will be a screening of the trailer of Usama’s latest feature film Profane. The event is free.
The Alshaibis have been making films for a long time and, in the early ‘o0s, they organized their own film festival, the Z Film Festival, so they know how to put on a good show. And, while the event is free, it is a fundraiser of sorts to raise finishing funds for Profane. So, they’ll be selling DVD collections of their films, as well as a copy of their book A History of Flying Vaginas.
While the lineup of...
8:00 p.m.
Fat Rabbit
1711 S. Halsted,
Chicago, Il 60608
Hosted by: Usama and Kristie Alshaibi
Married Chicago transgressive filmmakers Usama and Kristie Alshaibi will be screening a selection of films the couple have made together and individually between 1998 and 2010. The screening will include both 16mm films and video. Plus, there will be a screening of the trailer of Usama’s latest feature film Profane. The event is free.
The Alshaibis have been making films for a long time and, in the early ‘o0s, they organized their own film festival, the Z Film Festival, so they know how to put on a good show. And, while the event is free, it is a fundraiser of sorts to raise finishing funds for Profane. So, they’ll be selling DVD collections of their films, as well as a copy of their book A History of Flying Vaginas.
While the lineup of...
- 6/21/2010
- by screenings
- Underground Film Journal
Master of transgression Usama Alshaibi is still currently finishing up his latest feature film, Profane, but he’s already unleashed a haunting trailer for it, which is embedded above. The film tells the story of a faithless Muslim sex worker who loses her Jinn, a fiery spirit or demon, and desperately wants to win it back to feel connected to her lost heritage. If you like the above trailer and want to help Alshaibi out to complete the film, he’s currently raising finishing funds via Kickstarter.
I’m an unabashed fan of Alshaibi’s work, which has been clear for several years here on Bad Lit, but I’m really excited to see this new film, which combines so many of this unique filmmaker’s interests.
Alshaibi is perhaps best known for his award-winning documentary Nice Bombs, in which he traveled back to his home country of Iraq in...
I’m an unabashed fan of Alshaibi’s work, which has been clear for several years here on Bad Lit, but I’m really excited to see this new film, which combines so many of this unique filmmaker’s interests.
Alshaibi is perhaps best known for his award-winning documentary Nice Bombs, in which he traveled back to his home country of Iraq in...
- 3/23/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Bad Lit was painfully disappointed that neither The Hurt Locker nor its director, Kathryn Bigelow, won a Golden Globe the other night. We can only hope that the film fares better — way better — on Oscar night.
Other than that Golden Globe, so far the film has been racking up all kinds of awards, particularly from critics’ associations such as the Austin Film Critics Association, Boston Society of Film Critics and the Chicago Film Critics Association; plus, it won two awards from Ifp’s Gotham Independent Film Awards.
The Hurt Locker made only a modest sum at the box office, but hopefully the award season accolades its been receiving will encourage a larger audience to find it on DVD (Amazon | Netflix).
For those who have seen and enjoyed the film and would like to watch another Iraq-based film, I’ve compiled a short list of great overlooked documentaries to check out.
Other than that Golden Globe, so far the film has been racking up all kinds of awards, particularly from critics’ associations such as the Austin Film Critics Association, Boston Society of Film Critics and the Chicago Film Critics Association; plus, it won two awards from Ifp’s Gotham Independent Film Awards.
The Hurt Locker made only a modest sum at the box office, but hopefully the award season accolades its been receiving will encourage a larger audience to find it on DVD (Amazon | Netflix).
For those who have seen and enjoyed the film and would like to watch another Iraq-based film, I’ve compiled a short list of great overlooked documentaries to check out.
- 1/19/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Chicago – October 27th is the release date for “Nice Bombs,” a personal documentary from Cinema Obscura DVD about the homecoming of a native Iraqi to his old hometown of Baghdad, still in the midst of the Iraq War.
The film follows director Usama Alshaibi, as he contemplates and completes his two-and-a-half week visit to Baghdad, meeting long lost relatives after 24 years of exile. Alshaibi’s profile describes it as “Both an inwards exploration of personal identity and an outward examination of a post-Hussein Iraq through interviews with family and friends.”
Director Usama Alshaibi (upper left) among his countrymen in Baghdad, in ‘Nice Bombs.’
Photo credit: NiceBombs.com
Nat Dykeman, who runs Cinema Obscura DVD, and the documentary creator/director Usama Alshaibi talked to HollywoodChicago in anticipation of the October 27th DVD release and the journey to get this unique story available for the marketplace.
HollywoodChicago.com: What is the background...
The film follows director Usama Alshaibi, as he contemplates and completes his two-and-a-half week visit to Baghdad, meeting long lost relatives after 24 years of exile. Alshaibi’s profile describes it as “Both an inwards exploration of personal identity and an outward examination of a post-Hussein Iraq through interviews with family and friends.”
Director Usama Alshaibi (upper left) among his countrymen in Baghdad, in ‘Nice Bombs.’
Photo credit: NiceBombs.com
Nat Dykeman, who runs Cinema Obscura DVD, and the documentary creator/director Usama Alshaibi talked to HollywoodChicago in anticipation of the October 27th DVD release and the journey to get this unique story available for the marketplace.
HollywoodChicago.com: What is the background...
- 10/27/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Seventh Art Releasing
NEW YORK -- Filmmaker Usama Alshaibi's documentary about returning to his homeland of Iraq after 24 years lists Studs Terkel among its executive producers. It's easy to see what attracted the legendary journalist to the project, as it features extended interviews not with journalists, politicos or military figures, but rather the sort of common folk most viscerally affected by the conflict. Unfortunately, for all its qualities, Nice Bombs lacks the focus necessary to elevate it to the first rank of this increasingly crowded documentary genre. The film recently was given its theatrical premiere at New York's Two Boots Pioneer Theater.
Shot in 2004 but given a more recent coda, the film also suffers from a lack of timeliness. It concerns the trip to Baghdad undertaken by the Iraq-born filmmaker, his American wife and his father, at the onset of the U.S. occupation. There, Usama, who moved with his parents to the U.S. during the Iran-Iraq war, is reunited with his extended family, including Tareef, the cousin with whom he spent much of his childhood. It is the unflappable Tareef who gives the film its title, explaining that a deafening explosion nearby is simply the result of a "nice bomb."
Consisting of much footage of the filmmaker engaging in lengthy dialogues with his family members and wandering around an already besieged Baghdad, the video-shot effort has a ragged, home-movie feel that detracts from its effectiveness. Not surprisingly, considering its setting and subject matter, it has several powerful moments. But one ultimately longs for a stronger directorial and editorial vision to provide a tighter shape and coherence to the often-rambling footage.
NEW YORK -- Filmmaker Usama Alshaibi's documentary about returning to his homeland of Iraq after 24 years lists Studs Terkel among its executive producers. It's easy to see what attracted the legendary journalist to the project, as it features extended interviews not with journalists, politicos or military figures, but rather the sort of common folk most viscerally affected by the conflict. Unfortunately, for all its qualities, Nice Bombs lacks the focus necessary to elevate it to the first rank of this increasingly crowded documentary genre. The film recently was given its theatrical premiere at New York's Two Boots Pioneer Theater.
Shot in 2004 but given a more recent coda, the film also suffers from a lack of timeliness. It concerns the trip to Baghdad undertaken by the Iraq-born filmmaker, his American wife and his father, at the onset of the U.S. occupation. There, Usama, who moved with his parents to the U.S. during the Iran-Iraq war, is reunited with his extended family, including Tareef, the cousin with whom he spent much of his childhood. It is the unflappable Tareef who gives the film its title, explaining that a deafening explosion nearby is simply the result of a "nice bomb."
Consisting of much footage of the filmmaker engaging in lengthy dialogues with his family members and wandering around an already besieged Baghdad, the video-shot effort has a ragged, home-movie feel that detracts from its effectiveness. Not surprisingly, considering its setting and subject matter, it has several powerful moments. But one ultimately longs for a stronger directorial and editorial vision to provide a tighter shape and coherence to the often-rambling footage.
- 7/27/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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