Being Osama
| Being Osama | |
|---|---|
 Five Montreal men who happened to have the name "Osama" | |
| Directed by | Mahmoud Kaabour Tim Schwab |
| Written by | Mahmoud Kaabour |
| Produced by | Diversus [ca] |
| 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 | 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]
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 (better known as Sultan), a Christian Palestinian-Canadian DJ who wears dreadlocks. He is one half of the DJ duo Sultan + Ned Shepard.
- Ossama el-Naggar, an Egyptian-Canadian musical expert and importer of opera and classical music CDs living in Canada for over twenty 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.
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]
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]
See also
References
- ^ Mahmoud Kaabour at IMDb
- ^ Veritas Films
- ^ "Tim Schwab". Archived from the original on 2010-07-28. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Sam Shalabi at IMDb
- ^ The Personal is Geopolitical: Horror and grace at the Third Annual Arab Film Festival Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine at CityPages.com; by Caroline Palmer; published November 9, 2005; retrieved September 1, 2013
- ^ Being Osama at IMDb
- ^ "Being Osama". Archived from the original on 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) " 'Being Osama', directed by Dubai-based filmmaker Mahmoud Kaabour" (2007) The Dubai Journal. - ^ Review – "At a Glance" (April 21, 2005) Concordia's Thursday Report Vol.29 No.14