AL-BUSTAN NEWS
Covering Philadelphia’s Southwest Asian and North African Communities
Cinema, Etcetera | My Six Hopes for Arab Cinema in 2026
By Joseph Fahim
What Arab cinema needs now is not decorative Oscar recognition, but sustained community engagement and inventive, grassroots marketing strategies.
‘Palestine 36’ Reveals the Cruel Logic of Empire and the Limits of Endurance
By Gawhara Abou-eid
“Palestine 36” poses a question that echoes long after the credits roll: Is endurance the only solution Palestinians are permitted?
Art as Resistance | Lara Bedewi Is Telling One Arab Story at a Time — and That’s the Point
By Lauren Abunassar
While Bedewi has often worried that her films will be misconstrued as representative of all Arab experience, she has increasingly felt permitted to tell ‘one’ Arab story, not ‘the’ Arab story.
An Area Couple Celebrates their Engagement with Iraqi Traditions — and Some New Ones (Video)
By Kenza Bousseloub
On December 19, Amani's and Lucio's families and friends came together for a one–of–a–kind North Philly engagement party.
Explainer: The ‘Invisible Crisis’ in Sudan
By Ben Bennett
The current conflict in Sudan, now in its third year, is being called “the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.” But awareness about the crisis continues to be limited..
As Health Insurance Subsidies Expire, Philadelphia’s Immigrant and Mixed–Status Families Face a Coverage ‘Cliff’
By Gawhara Abou-eid
According to Pennie, for each new enrollment, two people are terminating their coverage, and about 44% of new enrollees have not paid their January premium, suggesting additional dropouts may occur.
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