Cherien Dabis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cherien Dabis
Dabis at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Born	(1976-11-27) November 27, 1976 (age 48) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Education	University of Cincinnati (BA) Columbia University (MFA)

Cherien Dabis (born in 1976) is a talented Palestinian American director, producer, writer, and actress. She was recognized by Variety magazine in 2009 as one of 10 Directors to Watch. In 2010, she received a special fellowship from United States Artists. More recently, in 2022, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her directing work on the TV show Only Murders in the Building. Cherien Dabis is also celebrated for showing Arab culture in a real and honest way in Hollywood.

Early Life and Background

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 called Celina, Ohio. She spent many summers visiting Jordan.

A Trip to Palestine

When Cherien was 8 years old, she visited Palestine for the first time. At the border, she and her family were held for 12 hours. This experience helped her understand what it meant to be Palestinian. She did not return to Palestine for 20 years after that trip.

Growing Up in America

Cherien's hometown in Ohio was mostly made up of families from German backgrounds. When she returned from trips to the Middle East, people would sometimes ask if Jordan had phones or cars. As a Palestinian American, Cherien wanted to fit in with the culture around her.

However, things changed for her family when the Gulf War started in 1990. Her family faced difficult times. Cherien realized she was an "Arab in America." These experiences made her want to create films. She was 14 when she noticed that movies and TV shows did not show Arab Americans accurately. She wanted to change how Arabs were seen in the media. Later, she studied filmmaking at Columbia University. She made films that shared her own experiences as an Arab American. Her goal was to change negative stereotypes in the film industry.

Education and Learning

Cherien Dabis studied at the University of Cincinnati. She earned a degree with honors in creative writing and communications. In 2004, she received her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in film from Columbia University School of the Arts.

Filmmaking Career

Cherien Dabis sees herself as someone who cares deeply about people. She once said that after working in politics, she realized she could connect with more people through stories. She believes movies are a powerful way to talk about important issues. Because she grew up between the Middle East and the Midwest, she has a special point of view. She wanted to share this view in her films.

Her movies often include parts of her own life. They explore themes like moving to a new country, facing unfair treatment, fitting into new cultures, and family. Her first two feature films, Amreeka and May in the Summer, tell a complete story together. Amreeka is about being Arab in America. May in the Summer is about being American in the Middle East. These films show how two different worlds can come together or sometimes clash.

Early Film Work

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

Amreeka Film

Amreeka was Cherien Dabis's first full-length movie. She says it is "loosely based on things that happened to us during the first Gulf War." The film tells the story of 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, which allows her to live in the U.S. She decides to move to America with her son. The story takes place after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Muna and Fadi have trouble at customs when they arrive. Muna loses her life savings at the airport. She has to take a job at White Castle, even though she has many skills. Her family also faces unfair treatment after the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq War.

Fadi gets into a fight at school because of what other kids hear in the media. His classmates even bother Muna at her job. The film ends with Muna inviting Fadi's principal to dinner, and everyone sings and dances. This movie shows the real difficulties many immigrants experience.

May in the Summer Film

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 is about May Brennan, a successful writer from New York City. She plans to marry Ziad in her hometown of Amman, Jordan. When she arrives, her mother does not approve of May marrying a Muslim man. May also deals with her younger sisters and her father, who wants to make up for past issues. As her wedding day gets closer, May has to face painful memories from her parents' divorce. May in the Summer is about finding a balance between modern and traditional ideas.

Recent Film Projects

Cherien Dabis's third feature film, All That's Left of You, was shown for the first time at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. She also has two new projects coming up. One will be a comedy that is not about her Middle Eastern background. The other will be in Arabic and set in Palestine.

Television Directing

Cherien Dabis started her TV career as a writer for The L Word. She has also directed episodes for several popular shows. These include Ramy, Ozark, The Sinner, and Only Murders in the Building.

Creative Inspiration

Cherien Dabis grew up watching Egyptian movies. Her family had many Egyptian films on VHS tapes. She says these films were the start of her film education. American movies like E.T. and The Wizard of Oz also shaped her ideas about what films could be. She also looks up to directors like Mike Leigh and Robert Altman. Some of her favorite films include The 400 Blows and In the Mood for Love. She considers In the Mood for Love to be her favorite movie ever.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Awards and Recognition

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

• For her short film Make a Wish, she won awards at the Aspen Shortsfest, Cairo International Film Festival for Children, Chicago International Children's Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and Dubai International Film Festival in 2007.
• Her film Amreeka won the Best Screenplay award at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007. In 2009, it won the Fipresci Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, and Best Arabic Screenplay and Best Arabic Film at the 2009 Cairo International Film Festival. It also received Variety's New Talent Award at the Zurich Film Festival.
• In 2022, she 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, her work on the TV series Mo earned a Peabody Award for Entertainment.

See also

• List of female film and television directors