On this edition of Your Call, we discuss this year's Arab Film Festival in San Francisco with a focus on the documentary From Baghdad to the Bay.
Ghazwan Alsharif, a former translator for the US military in Iraq, was wrongfully accused of being a spy. He was arrested by the US military police, tortured, imprisoned, and ostracized from his family and country. Upon his release, he moved to San Francisco where he now lives openly as gay man. From Baghdad to the Bay follows his harrowing journey. How are filmmakers exploring politics, sexuality, and conflict in the Arab world on the big screen?
Guests:
Serge Bakalian, executive director of the Arab Film Festival and the Arab Film and Media Institute
Erin Palmquist, director of From Baghdad to the Bay, and producer and director of photography for the documentary shorts series Oakland Originals
Web Resources:
Bay Area Reporter: Gay Iraqi's story hits Bay Area film festivals
Arab News: The Six: Films on show at California’s Arab Film Festival
KQED: Now Playing! Arab Film Festival Raises the Blinds on a Multifaceted World
