Arab American Heritage Month Watchlist

Each April, Arab American Heritage Month offers an opportunity to engage in the depth and diversity of Arab storytelling across film and television. 

Written by Sarah Abraham

Each April, Arab American Heritage Month offers an opportunity to engage in the depth and diversity of Arab storytelling across film and television. From diasporic narratives to regionally rooted cinema, these stories highlight the breadth of Arab experiences across generations and geographies with humor, heart, and enough identity crises to last a lifetime.

As a (half) (and proud!) Lebanese-American viewer, revisiting these films and television series during Arab American Heritage Month always reminds me how expansive and varied Arab storytelling truly is. These works reflect not just our history or struggle, but our humor, family, friendship, imagination, and everyday life across the diaspora and the region itself. Whether in Beirut, Palestine, Jordan, or the United States, seeing Arab characters centered with nuance continues to feel both groundbreaking and affirming. 

I hope this small watchlist encourages you to explore even more Arab cinema and television—or any art from a culture different than yours—and to celebrate the artists whose stories keep widening what representation on screen and behind the camera can look like. 

Film

Amreeka (2009)
Directed by Cherien Dabis

Cherien Dabis’ Amreeka remains one of the warmest and most grounded portrayals of the modern Arab American immigrant experience on screen. The film follows a Palestinian mother and her son adjusting to life in the Midwest with humor, tenderness, and emotional honesty. Rather than leaning into stereotypes of spectacle, it centers on the quiet realities of starting over in a new country while holding onto cultural identity. This is an essential entry point for audiences interested in diaspora storytelling that feels both intimate and universal. 

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Directed by David Lean

David Lean’s sweeping epic, Lawrence of Arabia, is one of the most influential films of all time, and it just so happens to be a portrait of the Arab world. The film’s scale, cinematography, score, and performances helped define the visual language of the desert in Western filmmaking for decades, and challenged the preconceived notion of film being a limited art form. At the same time, revisiting it today invites meaningful conversations about perspective, authorship, and how Arab histories have been interpreted through a colonial cinematic lens. Watching it alongside Arab-made films creates a fuller understanding of representation across film history. Additionally, it is a small glimpse into the Arab Revolt, a real event that occurred during World War I. 

Available to rent or buy at home

Farha (2021)
Directed by Darin J. Sallam

Farha offers a deeply personal perspective on the Palestinian experience during the Nakba through the eyes of a young girl coming of age in truly harrowing circumstances. Directed by Darin J. Sallam, the film’s restrained storytelling and emotional focus make its impact especially powerful. By centering one intimate story rather than a sweeping historical narrative, it emphasizes memory, survival, and generational inheritance—real-life morals Palestinians today still hold true. The film stands as a vital example of contemporary Palestinian cinema and the importance of their stories being seen by global audiences. 

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Tubi

Capernaum (2018)
Directed by Nadine Labaki

Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum is a heartbreaking yet deeply personal portrait of childhood survival in Beirut, Lebanon. Anchored by a remarkable performance by its young lead, Zain Al Rafeea, the film captures the resilience of children navigating systems that are built to fail them. Labaki’s filmmaking blends documentary realism with emotional beats in a way that resonates far beyond its Levantine setting. It remains one of the most acclaimed and internationally recognized Arab films of the past decade, and for good reason, too!

Available to rent or buy at home

Incendies (2010)
Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Directed by Denis Villeneuve and adapted from Wajdi Mouawad’s play of the same name, Incendies explores how war, migration, and silence shape family histories across generations. The film unfolds as both a mystery and an emotional reckoning, gradually revealing the hidden costs of conflicts within Arab countries. The film’s structure mirrors the process of uncovering identity itself - layered, painful, and transformative—and continues to be remembered as a powerful diaspora-linked story in international cinema. 

Available to rent or buy at home and to watch on Crave, Netflix Canada, and TOU.TV

Wadjda (2012)
Directed by Haifaa al-Mansour

Wadjda marked a historic milestone as the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia by a Saudi woman director, Haifaa al-Mansour! The story follows a young girl determined to buy a bicycle, transforming a simple goal into a quietly radical act of independence. Its charm lies in how gently the film challenges expectations while celebrating determination and possibility. The film remains a landmark in the evolution of Saudi cinema and serves as a reminder that Arab girls also deserve a happy childhood! 

Available to rent or buy at home

Theeb (2014)
Directed by Naji Abu Nowar

Set during the final years of the Ottoman Empire, Theeb blends the intimacy of a coming-of-age story with the sweeping atmosphere of a desert survival western. The film, directed by Naji Abu Nowar, highlights Bedouin culture with striking authenticity while exploring loyalty, trust, and the cost of growing up too quickly. Its visual storytelling connects Arab cinematic traditions with global genre influences. The result is both historically grounded, universally resonant, and the first-ever Jordanian nomination for Best Foreign Language film at the 88th Academy Awards. 

Available to rent or buy at home

Caramel (2007)
Directed by Nadine Labaki

Nadine Labaki’s Caramel is a vibrant ensemble film that captures the rhythms and blues of everyday life among women in Beirut. Set largely inside a beauty salon, the story explores friendship, love, generational expectations, and personal change with warmth and humor. The film’s intimacy makes it especially powerful as a portrait of contemporary Lebanese identity. 

Television

Mo (2022-2025)

Co-created by Mo Amer and Ramy Youssef, Mo offers one of the most honest depictions of the Palestinian American experience ever shown on television. Loosely based on Amer’s real life, the series balances humor and heartbreak as it follows a stateless refugee navigating work, family, and identity in Houston, Texas. Its storytelling reflects both the specificity of Palestinian diaspora life and the broader realities of belonging in America. Few recent series have expanded not just Arab American, but representation in general, with this level of nuance and care. 

Available to watch on Netflix

Ramy (2019-2022)

Ramy helped redefine what Arab American storytelling could look like on television by centering faith, uncertainty, and personal contradiction with a rare honesty—depression. Ramy Youssef’s semi-autobiographical series explores the complexities of being both Muslim and American without simplifying either identity. Its willingness to embrace discomfort, humor, and vulnerability opened new space for Arab voices in mainstream TV and comedy, and continues to influence how diaspora stories are told on screen.

Available to watch on Hulu

AlRawabi School for Girls (2021-2024)

Set in Jordan, AlRawabi School for Girls brings a sharp, emotionally layered teen drama perspective to Arab television storytelling. The series explores friendship, social pressure, and revenge within a tightly observed school environment that feels both regionally specific and globally relatable. Its success reflects the growing international visibility of Arabic-language content. Additionally, it also highlights the importance of young women’s voices in Arab media. 

Available to watch on Netflix

Paranormal (2020)

Inspired by Ahmed Khaled Tawfik’s beloved novels, Paranormal marked a major milestone as Netflix’s first Egyptian original series. Blending supernatural mystery with historical atmosphere, it introduced global audiences to a new genre direction within Arab television. The show’s success demonstrated the appetite for Arab storytelling beyond realism and political narrative. It represents an exciting step forward for regional genre filmmaking in the international sphere. 

Available to watch on Netflix