Prize-Winning Video, "Arab in America," Captures Lives of Muslims in USA

posted on: Mar 16, 2009

Arab in America, a short film that parodies the real-life experiences of American filmmaker Nabil Abou-Harb, 24, whose name has posed challenges for him when seeking jobs, is the grand prize winner of this year’s “One Nation, Many Voices” online short film contest.

Nearly 26,000 votes were cast for the 150 four- to five-minute-long entries about Islam and its followers. The contest is aimed at promoting tolerance, understanding, and respect for religious freedom.

ON THE WEB:View the winning films at LinkTV.org

A celebrity panel of judges included Grammy-winning songwriter Kenneth Gamble, country singer Kareem Salama, Muslim Girl Magazine editor-in-chief Ausma Khan, writer and former Jesuit seminarian Chris Lowney, and Lena Khan, the grand prize winner of last year’s contest.

Winners were selected in five categories; each received $5,000. Abou-Harb’s grand-prize winner earned a $25,000 cash prize and a broadcast debut on Link TV, which co-sponsored the competition with the non-profit group One Nation.

“Since its inception in 2007, the ‘One Nation, Many Voices’ film contest continues to grow as a safe space where Americans can explore what it means to be Muslim today,” said Kim Spencer, president of Link TV, in a statement.

Last year’s top winner, a music video by Khan called “A Land Called Paradise,” has been licensed by the State Department for use on its America.gov website and for presentation to 30 foreign embassies.

It has since become an Internet sensation, noted as a “favorite” on Jordanian Queen Rania’s website. It has received hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube and various blogs.

Michelle Healy
USA TODAY