Being Osama
| Being Osama | |
|---|---|
 Five Montreal men who happened to have the name "Osama" |
|
| Directed by | Mahmoud Kaabour Tim Schwab |
| Produced by | Diversus [ca] |
| Written by | Mahmoud Kaabour |
| Starring | Osama (Sam) Shalabi Ossama al-Sarraf Ossama el-Naggar Osama el-Demerdash Oussama al-Jundi Osama Dorias |
| Music by | Osama (Sam) Shalabi |
| Release date(s) | November 2004 |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Being Osama is an award-winning documentary produced in 2004 by Tim Schwab and Mahmoud Kaabour. Director Mahmoud Kaabour is the founder and managing director of Veritas Films, now based in the United Arab Emirates.[1][2] Co-director Tim Schwab is an Associate Professor of film at Concordia University.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
The documentary details the lives of six Montreal Arab men, all with the first name "Osama":
- Osama (Sam) Shalabi, of Egyptian origin, a music composer who grew up in Atlantic Canada. He is a leading member of the Montreal-based instrumental band, Shalabi Effect. He composed the soundtrack for Being Osama.[4]
- Ossama al-Sarraf, a Palestinian-Canadian aspiring rockstar who wears dreadlocks
- Ossama el-Naggar, an Egyptian-Canadian musical expert and importer of opera and classical music CDs living in Canada for over 20 years
- Osama el-Demerdash, an Egyptian, who is very politically active regarding issues surrounding immigrant rights and deportation of refugees
- Oussama al-Jundi, a Lebanese-Canadian who runs a Muslim school in Montreal
- Osama Dorias, an Iraqi-Canadian and devout Muslim whose family fled Saddam Hussein's regime while he will still a young child. His father has recently returned to Iraq and portrayed as a university graduate and a basketball player involved in organizing a Muslim basketball league in a Montreal suburb.
They all recount their experiences in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
[edit] Reception and distribution
The film has been recognized as a contribution to the intellectual and artistic debate about the Arab diaspora.[5] It has appeared on many international television, documentary and news channels.
Mahmoud Kaabour also presented it in a two-hour special on the Zaven Kouyoumdjian pan-Arab talk show “Seereh w Enfatahit” (Arabic,سيرة وانفتحت) on the Lebanese Future Television channel.[6] [7]
[edit] Awards
Being Osama has won a number of international awards, including:
- Best Documentary at the University Film and Video Conference
- Best Documentary award at the Big Muddy Film Festival at Southern Illinois University
- An Aurora Award (for Best Documentary) at the Canadian National Youth Film Festival
- Certificate of Merit for fighting racism from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2043753/
- ^ http://www.veritasfilms.ae
- ^ http://artsandscience.concordia.ca/comm/faculty/schwab.html
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2042145/
- ^ http://www.citypages.com/2005-11-09/movies/the-personal-is-geopolitical/
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448890/
- ^ http://www.thedubaijournal.com/artman2/publish/movies/Being_Osama_directed_by_Dubai-based_filmmaker_Mahmoud_Kaabour_at_7_30pm_on_Sept_11th_2007.shtml
- ^ review
[edit] External links
- Being Osama at the Internet Movie Database
- Veritas Films
- Review on Qantara
- Interview in The Montreal Mirror
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