Arab Labor
| Arab Labor | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| Written by | Sayed Kashua |
| Directed by | Roni Ninio (season 1) Shai Kapon (season 2) |
| Starring | Norman Issa, Clara Khoury, Salim Dau, Salwa Nakra, Fatma Yihye, Mariano Idelman, Mira Awad, Karing Ashdod |
| Opening theme | DAM |
| Country of origin | Israel |
| Language(s) | Arabic, Hebrew |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 23 (+ Independence Day special) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Daniel Paran |
| Producer(s) | Yoni Paran |
| Location(s) | Israel |
| Running time | 48 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Channel 2 (Keshet) |
| Original run | 2007 – Still running |
Arab Labor (Hebrew: עבודה ערבית, Avoda Aravit; Arabic: شغل عَرَب) is a sitcom television series, produced in Israel. The series which premiered on Keshet Channel 2 in Israel in 2007 and on Link TV in the Fall of 2008, was created by Sayed Kashua.
The series (whose title in colloquial Hebrew carries the implication of “shoddy or second-rate work,”[1]) focused on the family and work situations, of Amjad, a Palestinian journalist and Israeli citizen. Much of the comedy is derived from the paradox of Amjad's love-hate relationship with his Arab identity and his simultaneous wish to integrate comfortably into Israeli society.
Poking fun at the cultural divide, Kashua's characters play on religious, cultural and political differences to daringly depict the mixed society prevalent in Jerusalem.[1] The show marked a milestone on Israeli television as the first program to present Palestinian characters speaking Arabic on primetime. Arab Labor has generated great controversy but, nevertheless, has managed to be internationally successful.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- Amjad (Norman Issa) – A Palestinian-Israeli journalist working in Jerusalem[2]
- Meir (Mariano Idelman) – Amjad's Jewish-Israeli coworker at the magazine
- Bushra (Clara Khoury) – Amjad's wife
- Amal (Mira Awad) – A Palestinian-Israeli attorney to whom Meir is attracted
- Ismael (Salim Dau) – Amjad's father
- Umm (Salwa Nakra) – Amjad's mother
- Maya (Fatma Yihye) – Amjad and Bushra's daughter
[edit] Production
Funding for the series has been provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
Arab Labor was released on DVD with a portion of every sale going to support Link TV.
[edit] Reception
Arab Labor has been critically successful.
The Chicago Tribune described it as "…a groundbreaking TV show that finds humor in sharing a homeland."
The New York Times commented that "Kashua has managed to barge through cultural barriers and bring an Arab point of view into the mainstream of Israeli entertainment."
[edit] Reviews
- "Finding Humor and Truth Amid Conflict," Los Angeles Times, November 15, 2008
- "Meet the Palestinian Seinfeld," San Francisco Chronicle, November 13, 2008
- "Israeli sitcom about Arabs a hit," Variety, February 1, 2008
- "TV comedy depicts world of the Arab Israeli," International Herald Tribune, January 7, 2008
- "'Avoda Aravit' - breaking TV barriers," Jerusalem Post, January 29, 2008
