Cherien Dabis facts for kids

Cherien Dabis (born 1976) is a talented Palestinian American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. She is known for creating films and TV shows that explore important stories. In 2009, Variety magazine named her one of their 10 Directors to Watch. She also received a special award called a United States Artists (USA) Fellowship in 2010. More recently, in 2022, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her directing work on the TV series Only Murders in the Building. Cherien Dabis has been recognized for showing Arab culture in a real and honest way in Hollywood.

Early Life and Identity

Cherien Dabis was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. Her father is from Palestine, and her mother is from Salt, Jordan. She grew up in a small town in Ohio and spent many summers visiting Jordan.

When she was 8 years old, Cherien visited Palestine for the first time. At the border, her family faced a difficult experience. This moment helped her understand what it meant to be Palestinian. She wouldn't return to Palestine for 20 years.

Back in Ohio, her hometown was mostly made up of families with German backgrounds. When Cherien returned from her trips to the Middle East, people would sometimes ask if Jordan had things like telephones and cars. She tried to fit in with the culture around her.

However, things changed for her family during the Gulf War in 1990. Her father, who was a doctor, lost many patients. Her family even received threats because of their background. These events made Cherien realize she was an "Arab in America."

This experience deeply influenced her. At 14, she noticed that Arab Americans were not shown accurately in movies or on TV. She felt a strong need to change these negative portrayals. Later, she studied filmmaking at Columbia University. She decided to make films that shared her own experiences as an Arab American. Her goal was to challenge stereotypes and fight the unfair treatment she had seen.

Education

Cherien Dabis studied at the University of Cincinnati, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in creative writing and communications. She then went on to get her Master of Fine Arts degree in film from Columbia University School of the Arts in 2004.

Career in Film and TV

Cherien Dabis believes that movies and TV shows are powerful tools. She says she can reach more people and make a bigger difference through stories than through politics. Because she grew up between the Middle East and the Midwest, she has a special viewpoint. She wanted to share this perspective in her films.

Her movies often explore themes like moving to a new country, facing unfair treatment, fitting into a new culture, and family relationships. Her first two feature films, Amreeka and May in the Summer, are like two parts of one story. Amreeka is about being Arab in America. May in the Summer is about being American in the Middle East. Together, they show how these two different worlds can come together, and sometimes clash.

Her first short film, Make a Wish, was shown at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. It won awards at other festivals too. She also worked as a writer for the TV series The L Word from 2006 to 2008.

Feature Films

Cherien Dabis made her first feature film, Amreeka, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It received great reviews. The DVD for Amreeka was released in 2010.

Her second feature film, May in the Summer, opened the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

Her third feature film, All That's Left Of You, is set to be shown at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Cherien Dabis also has two new projects coming up. One will be a comedy that is not connected to her Middle Eastern background. The other will be in Arabic and will be set in Palestine.

Amreeka

Amreeka was Cherien Dabis's first full-length movie. She says it's based on things that happened to her family during the first Gulf War. The story is about Muna Farah, a Palestinian mother, and her son, Fadi. They live in the West Bank and face challenges crossing an Israeli checkpoint every day.

One day, Muna wins a green card lottery, which allows her to move to the U.S. She decides to leave for America with Fadi. The film is set after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, so they have some trouble at customs. Muna also loses her life savings at the airport.

Even though she has many skills, Muna can only find a job at a fast-food restaurant called White Castle. Her family in the U.S. also faces a lot of unfair treatment after the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq War. Fadi gets into fights at school because other kids are influenced by negative media. The film shows the tough reality many immigrants experience.

May in the Summer

May in the Summer was Cherien Dabis's second feature film. It was filmed in Jordan, where she spent her own summers. Cherien not only wrote, directed, and produced this movie, but she also acted in it for the first time.

The story follows May Brennan, a successful writer from New York City. She plans to marry her fiancé, Ziad, in her hometown of Amman, Jordan. When she arrives, her mother doesn't approve of her marrying a Muslim man. May also has to deal with her younger sisters and her father, who wants to make up for lost time. As her wedding day gets closer, May has to face difficult memories from her parents' divorce. May in the Summer is a story about balancing modern ideas with traditional values.

Television Directing

Besides writing for The L Word, Cherien Dabis has directed episodes for many popular TV shows. These include Ramy, Ozark, The Sinner, and Only Murders in the Building.

Inspiration

Cherien Dabis grew up watching Egyptian movies. Her family had a large collection of these films on VHS tapes. She says these movies were the start of her film education. American films like E.T. and The Wizard of Oz also showed her what movies could achieve. She also looks up to directors like Mike Leigh and John Cassavetes. Some of her favorite films include The 400 Blows and In the Mood for Love.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Recognition

Cherien Dabis has received many awards for her work in film and television.

Her short film Make a Wish won several awards in 2007, including a Special Jury Award at Aspen Shortsfest and the Muhr Arab award for Best Short Film at the Dubai International Film Festival.

Her feature film Amreeka also earned many honors. In 2007, it won Best Screenplay at the Tribeca Festival. In 2009, it received the Fipresci Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. It also won Best Arabic Screenplay and Best Arabic Film at the 2009 Cairo International Film Festival.

In 2022, Cherien Dabis was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for her work on Only Murders in the Building. She also won a Gold Derby Award for Comedy Episode for the same show. In 2023, she won a Peabody Award for Entertainment for her work on the series Mo.

See also

• List of female film and television directors