American East

The heightened racial tensions of post-9/11 America are at the center of this 2007 drama, the feature debut from director Hesham Issawi. Co-writer Sayed Badreya stars as Mustafa, an Egyptian-born entrepreneur facing the daily challenges of an Arab Muslim living in Los Angeles and hoping to open a restaurant with his Jewish best friend, played by Tony Shalhoub. As Mustafa is met with friction for this unlikely plan, several other stories of adversity in the Arab-American community unfold around him.