Click on the photo to check out the film.

Make a Wish (Itmanna)

dir. Cherien Dabis
(2006) 12 min.

Want to see the short that put Cherien Dabis, the director of this year's heartwarming story of Palestinan immigrants in America, Amreeka? Make a Wish, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, was filmed on the streets of Palestine, following a young girl who is on a mission: to buy a birthday cake. What should be a simple task is complicated by the dangers and poverty of the area, and the film ends on an eloquent note.
 
Make a Wish is one of a series on TribecaFilm @ YouTube and the YouTube Screening Room that celebrates Middle Eastern stories and filmmakers, available only through November 11. Other films are listed below.
 

Eclipse
official selection of the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival

dir. Mark Lapwood
(2007) 10 min.

A hypnotic work of art, Eclipse journeys into the Mumbai through a series of gorgeous images illustrating an impoverished reality. Would make a stunning double feature with Slumdog Millionaire.

Click on the photo to check out the film.

The North Road
official selection of the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
and the winner of Best Narrative Short

dir. Carlos Chahine
(2008) 25 min.

A deeply heartfelt and emotional work written by and starring Carlos Chahine, a Lebanese/French actor making his directorial debut. The North Road is the story of a man returning to his native Lebanon to take his father's remains back home.

Click on the photo to check out the film.

Clear Cut, Simple
official selection of the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival

dir. Vineet Dewan
(2006) 14 min.

Based on a true story, Clear Cut, Simple is an arresting film about the gray area between an American soldier and his Iraqi interpreter. Director Vineet Dewan explores questions of honor, duty, and friendship in this short.

Click on the photo to check out the film.

Ramchand Pakistani (feature-length)
official selection of the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival

dir. Mehreen Jabbar
(2008) 105 min.

Adapted from actual events, this film tells the story of an eight-year-old boy who wanders over the invisible line separating Pakistan and India, where he and his father (who follows in search of him) are imprisoned. Director Mehreen Jabbar lays out the political contexts of the situation with exceptional fluidity, and the film also has a heart, paying heed to the characters crowding the jailhouse and shaping the child's universe within it. Child actor Syed Fazal Hussain proves one of those miracle discoveries—he's a real kid, all piss and vinegar and shaking vulnerabilities.

Click on the photo to check out the film.

We interviewed Cherien Dabis upon the release of Amreeka. Read it here.

Dabis visited Doha to talk about Amreeka and to educate other filmmakers. Check out behind-the-scenes videos from Doha TFF:



Dabis discusses Amreeka with Doha TFF Executive Director Amanda Palmer.



Dabis gives filmmaking advice to students.
 

Learn more about the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, going on now.