Last weekend was the annual Arab Film Festival. Held from October 22nd-24th, it featured films to increase understanding of Arab culture. On Sunday, I went to see the film, “Just Like Us.”
It was hilarious! It was based on a group of comedians, some of whom were Arab-American, who organized a comedy tour in the Middle East.
This documentary featured clips of their stand-up acts as well as their adventures with censorship and cultural revolutions. More importantly, however, the comedians achieved their goal to raise awareness for the similarities between Arabs and the rest of the comedy-loving world. They brought up issues such as dealing with pain through humour and the universal value of family.
Directed by: Egyptian-American Comedian Ahmed Ahmed (Yes, he makes jokes about his name.)
Best scene: At one performance, some toddlers came up on stage and stole the show. Ahmed just embraced it and gave them the microphone. It was simultaneously adorable and hilarious.
Bottom Line: Laughter works miracles.
You can watch the film trailer here.