Filmmakers Usama Alshaibi and Adam Sekuler announce CINEMA-19, a collection of 190 second short films commissioned in response to COVID-19.

The films in CINEMA-19 do not attempt to summarize the pandemic, but instead focus on the personal, the political, the sensual, the distant, the abstract, and the absurd.

With new works by Sarah Ema Friedland, Matt McCormick, Kalpana Subramanian, Christin Turner, Mila Zuo, William Brown, Kelly Gallagher, Lori Felker, Courtney Stephens, Scott Cummings, Amir George, Eman Akram Nader, Alex Megaro, Mehrnaz Saeedvafa, as well as the two commissioning artists; Usama Alshaibi and Adam Sekuler.

The films are presented in association … Read the rest

‘Usama’s Alshaibi’s experimental short film Baba Boom Boom (2016) takes us to the heart of the city, where we listen to folkloric music from Iraq performed by Alshaibi’s characterful father and meditate on the rich oral traditions within Iraqi culture’

Coming soon! Go to https://iiffestival.com/

Today is my Q and A for the Best of Chicago Underground Film Festival for my documentary American Arab. Join me at 7pm Chicago time. Click here.

The Desire will be having a virtual world premiere at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival COUCHED program which will run online from July 9-19.

COUCHED offers tailored viewing experiences to 30+ of the finest features and documentaries from across the world. In addition, it will feature live panels, talks, presentations and short films. In fact, as close to a full festival experience as possible.

Films will be available for rent for a 24 hour period through the fest. Tickets and passes are on sale now. https://revcouched.eventive.org/films/5ef80077e44f0f004c5fb7e6

My two short films, The Flowering and Dream of Samarra, are both playing Friday, November 8 at 10pm at the Spectacle Theatre in Brooklyn, New York. This is part of a program curated by Chris Bell, titled HIDDEN VISIONS: Snapshots of Contemporary Independent Cinema.
More info here. 

Check out Kino Klub Split, a film society in Croatia, holding weekly screenings and they’ve been playing many of my films all year. This week they will be showing my short film The Flowering, part of a group show on September 13th.
More info here.

My podcasts, Usama Talk, will be airing on Lumpen Radio! Playing on the FM dial in Chicago 105.5, and streaming on lumpenradio.com this Friday morning and re-broadcasting Saturday morning at 11am Chicago time.