“It's rare to read a script and think, ‘I’ve never seen a movie like this before!’ But that was very much my experience when I first read America. Not only does it tell an important story, but it makes me laugh, both with its ironic wit and its warmth.”

— Mark Johnson
Producer: Breaking Bad, Rain Man, The Notebook

For decades, Hollywood has maintained a near-monopoly on how Arabs and Muslims are portrayed on screen. With rare exceptions, the result has been a steady stream of defamatory caricatures that have shaped a false narrative for millions.

America is a coming-of-age dramady about young Palestinian-Americans caught between their immigrant parents’ world and the culture of their adopted home. Funny, messy, heartfelt, and deeply human, the film blends sharp humor with real pathos.

I grew up in this world — the food, the music, the laughs and tears of childhood are still vivid in my memory. During my university years, I threw myself into Arab-American activism with the passion and anger of youth. I later discovered that humor disarms in ways anger never can—humor is the sugar that helps the medicine go down. 

The script earned genuine enthusiasm and backing of industry leaders such as producer Mark Johnson (Rain Man, The Notebook, Breaking Bad), Steven Spielberg, director Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty), and legendary casting director Lou DiGiaimo (The Godfather, Thelma & Louise). Yet despite this A-list support, no studio was willing to pull the trigger.

America offers an unvarnished look at a Palestinian-American family, based on my experiences growing up in San Francisco. I refused to sugarcoat reality as a counter to strereotypes, because the truth about the families I know — the good, the bad, and the beautifully ugly — is enough. And audiences can smell inauthenticity a mile away.

One film may not change the world, but it can change minds — one laugh and one tear at a time. The time has come for authentic Palestinian-American stories to reach the screen.