AL-BUSTAN NEWS
Covering Philadelphia’s Southwest Asian and North African Communities
Cinema, Etcetera | Why Iranian Audiences Rejected Jafar Panahi’s Latest Film — and Why It Matters
By Joseph Fahim
For those who have experienced dictatorship and political oppression firsthand, it is difficult to digest one-dimensional characterization and an uncomplicated worldview.
Art as Resistance | Philadelphia Potters Carry Palestinian History and Heritage Through Ceramics
By Lauren Abunassar
Historically, traditional Palestinian ceramics have been especially well suited for the cultural archive, given their role as both ornament and instruments for daily life — bowls for eating, jars for storing, tiles for cooling homes, vessels shaped by and for use.
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
The film 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.
For Tazhib Master Ayse Tunc, Illumination Is the Art of Slowing Down
By Gawhara Abou-eid
Even after years of formal training and building a professional practice in Turkey and the U.S., Tunc’s approach remains rooted in the curiosity and wonder she felt as a child, captivated by the rhythms and forms of nature.
Al-Bustan News Team
Editor
Nisa Qazi
Current Journalism Fellows
Gawhara Abou-eid
Amna Khalafalla
Columnists
Lauren Abunassar
Joseph Fahim