Alternavox at TPFF: In Conversation with…Cherien Dabis
Palestinian American director Cherien Dabis belongs to a new, talented and energetic group of Arab American independent filmmakers who have both the passion and the creative know-how to produce films that reflect both their experiences in a land that has not always been welcoming.
Prior to “Amreeka” Cherien Dabis was also an accomplished writer and producer, some of her credits include working on The L Word for three seasons. She is graduate of Columbia University’s Masters of Fine Arts film program and besides “Amreeka” her first feature and which is being presented at the Toronto Palestine Film Festival, she has made a variety of shorts including “Make a Wish” (2006). Let us not forget that she was named one of “Ten Directors to Watch” by Variety magazine this year.
I sat down with the charming and passionate Cherien Dabis to get a better sense of what “Amreeka” its all about.
Here is the unedited recording:
Here is also the trailer for the movie:
Author: 
Publisher-Creator Mikhail Saavedra began life down by the deepest tip of southern Latin America. He started life with a deep curiosity for all things, with music and books being at the forefront, a curious child by all accounts. As he grew and opened his eyes to the world, he developed a sense of justice and dignity in part as a reaction to growing up in a military dictatorship. Alas, this did not fill him with fear or cynicism but a more rebellious spirit, which led him to being incredibly popular at the principal’s office and the local riot police department….
Then came Canada and it was here that he was able to formulate his deep desire to learn about the world, with Toronto being the kind of multicultural soup that could engage his need to know and embrace. It started with writing, then moved on to what became Toronto’s first Latin Alternative radio show, followed by an all-English show in the same vein. It was this desire to find the true “crossover” among people, which led him to the concept of “Alternavox”
He is a lover of wine, good food, Neruda, Eduardo Galeano, rebel music, revolutionaries, dancing, family and beautiful people. Believes that kindness in this much too cynical world is revolutionary, that you are a better person when able to give a little without asking for the change and that on the same token you should laugh at yourself and the madness surrounding you as often as possible as you set out to change the world bit by bit. 