Being Osama
Encyclopedia
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. Co-director Tim Schwab is an Associate Professor of film at Concordia University
.
Arab men, all with the first name "Osama":
They all recount their experiences in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
. 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.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
produced in 2004 by Tim Schwab and Mahmoud Kaabour
Mahmoud Kaabour
Mahmoud Kaabour is a multi award-winning filmmaker, writer, and lecturer from Beirut.- Education & occupation :Mahmoud graduated with distinction from the Mel Oppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal, after which he pursued a documentary focus at the National Film Board of Canada and the newsroom at...
. Director Mahmoud Kaabour is the founder and managing director of Veritas Films
Veritas Films
Veritas Films is a filmmaking company based in the United Arab Emirates. It creates cultural and corporate non-fiction content, including corporate films, short and feature-length documentaries, TV programming, and virals, in both English and Arabic....
, now based in the United Arab Emirates. Co-director Tim Schwab is an Associate Professor of film at Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
.
Synopsis
The documentary details the lives of six MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
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 MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
-based instrumental band, Shalabi EffectShalabi EffectShalabi Effect, a mostly instrumental band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band was originally formed in 1996 as a duo composed of Anthony Seck and Sam Shalabi. The first incarnation of Shalabi Effect released a limited edition cassette recording. In 1998, Shalabi Effect doubled in size by...
. He composed the soundtrack for Being Osama. - 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 basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
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 diasporaArab diaspora
Arab diaspora refers to Arab immigrants, and their descendants who, voluntarily or as refugees, emigrated from their native lands and now reside in non-Arab countries, primarily in Latin America, and Europe, as well as North America and South Asia, parts of Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and West...
. 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
Zaven Kouyoumdjian
Zaven Kouyoumdjian is a well known Lebanese talk show host of both Armenian and Lebanese descent. His show, Sirée Wenfatahet , is one of the highest rated in the Middle East...
pan-Arab talk show “Seereh w Enfatahit” (Arabic,سيرة وانفتحت) on the Lebanese Future Television
Future Television
Future Television a television station broadcasting from Lebanon. It was founded in 1993 by Rafik Hariri, a former Prime Minister of Lebanon. Future TV is also available via satellite in Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Politically, the channel supports the views of the Future...
channel.
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 FoundationCanadian Race Relations FoundationCanadian Race Relations Foundation is a Canadian government agency responsible to foster racial harmony and cross-cultural understanding and help to eliminate racism. The foundation was opened in November 1997, after receiving royal assent on February 1, 1991. The Foundation operates at "arms...
.
See also
- List of cultural references of the September 11 attacks
- Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? is a 2008 documentary film, conceived by Adam Dell and co-written, produced, directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker....