Faith Salie speaks with festival director of programming John Cooper about the moving films and the surprising events of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.

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Faith Salie talks with internation sales agent Charlotte Mickie about the fashion dos and don’ts during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.

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Faith Salie is joined by Kyle Buchanen, a film crictic from The Advocate. They discuss post-queer cinema during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.

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Faith Salie interviews sales agent Sarah Lash, producer Ron Yerxa, blogger Anne Thompson, and publicist Wellington Love about the business happenings and film buzz from the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.

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Faith Salie speaks with COLD SOULS director Sophie Barthes and actor Paul Giamatti in the Sundance Channel Studio. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.

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Faith Salie interviews MANURE director Michael Polish and cast members Billy Bob Thornton, Tea Leoni, Kyle MacLachlan, Ed Helms, and writer Mark Polish in the Sundance Channel Studio. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.

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Faith Salie speaks with BIG FAN writer/director Robert Siegel and actors Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Sarafina FIore, and Gino Cafarelli. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.

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Faith Salie interviews ARLEN FABER writer/director John Hindman and cast members Jeff Daniels and Lou Taylor Pucci in the Sundance Channel Studio. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.

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With sheer audacity and utter authenticity, director Lee Daniels tackles PUSH: BASED ON THE NOVEL BY SAPPHIRE and creates an unforgettable film that sets a new standard for cinema of its kind. Watch the Interview after the jump…

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Faith Salie interviews AMREEKA director Cherien Dabis and cast members Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, and Alia Shawkat. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.

AMREEKA
DIRECTOR/ SCREENWRITER: Cherien Dabis
U.S.A./Canada/Kuwait, 2009, 96 min., color
English and Arabic with English subtitles

Director Cherien Dabis’s auspicious debut feature, AMREEKA, is a warm and lighthearted film about one Palestinian family’s tumultuous journey into Diaspora amidst the cultural fallout of America’s war in Iraq.

Muna Farah, a Palestinian single mom, struggles to maintain her optimistic spirit in the daily grind of intimidating West Bank checkpoints, the constant nagging of a controlling mother, and the haunting shadows of a failed marriage. Everything changes one day when she receives a letter informing her that her family has been granted a U.S. green card.

Reluctant to leave her homeland, but realizing it may be the only way to secure a future for Fadi, her teenage son, Muna decides to quit her job at the bank and visit her relatives in Illinois to see about a new life in a land that gives newcomers a run for their money.

Dabis weaves an abundance of humor and levity into this tale of struggle, displacement, and nostalgia and draws an absorbing and irresistibly charming performance from actress Nisreen Faour as Muna, who stands at the heart of this tale. AMREEKA glows with the truth and magic of everyday life and signals the arrival of an exciting, new directorial talent. —SHARI FRILOT

ExP: Alicia Sams, Cherien Dabis Pr: Christina

Host Faith Salie speaks to festival programmers John Cooper, Caroline Libresco, Trevor Groth, Shari Frilot, and David Courier in the Sundance Channel Studio for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Presented by Honda, The Power of Dreams.