*Help Support Arab-American Filmmakers*
Emmy Award winning actor Tony Shalhoub of the hit TV series Monk and the Network of Arab-American Professionals (NAAP) have joined to co- sponsor the 2005 Arab-American Filmmaker Award competition. The first of its kind, this competition focuses on the Arab-American community and provides a unique opportunity for aspiring filmmakers of Arab origin to produce their original short screenplay in Hollywood.
With over 60 submissions, the competition has been a resounding success to date. The winning screenwriter will be provided with the funds to produce his or her screenplay in Hollywood. The finished short film will be unveiled at the 2005 NAAP National Conference next fall.
Tony Shalhoub will provide the winner with production services, but the effort is heavily dependant on donations and contributions by Arab Americans and friends. For details on how you can support these gifted filmmakers and contributions to the fundraising effort please contact Salma salmatag@yahoo.com or visit http://www.naaponline.org/filmaward.asp
*New York Arab-American Comedy Festival Seeks Comedic Theater Pieces*
If you have ever written comedic theater pieces, or have simply thought about it, then here is a great opportunity to have your material read in front of a live audience. The NY Arab-American Comedy Festival will be holding a comedic theater reading night/competition on Thursday, May 5, 2005, at the Alwan Arab Arts Center. In addition to reading the scripts, the organization will pick one piece, based on audience response, which they will produce in this fall’s Comedy Festival, November 13-16, 2005.
This is a great opportunity to get feedback from a live audience. Please keep in mind, that entries not chosen on May 5th may be resubmitted when the Comedy Festival seeks submissions this fall.
Submission Guidelines:
The comedic pieces should be no longer than 30 minutes in length. (We welcome very short pieces as well.) All submissions must be written or co-written by an Arab-American. The theater pieces do not have to be “Arab themed,” they simply have to be comedic. All submissions must be POSTMARKED by April 15, 2005. Submissions should be sent to the NYAACF, c/o Nibras and addressed to the attention of the Comedic Theater Pieces at 317 West 95th Street, Suite HG, New York, NY 10025. Please include your contact info and a brief bio. If you would like your submission returned, please include a self-addressed stamped return envelope. We will read as many pieces as time allows.
If you have any questions, please contact Dean Obeidallah at Dean@arabcomedy.org, Maysoon Zayid at Maysoon@arabcomedy.org or Elias El-Hage at Elias@arabcomedy.org.
For more info about the Festival, please visit our website atwww.Arabcomedy.org.