Update of upcoming shows and festivals

-Los Angeles - Arab Film Festival (Oct 24) Opening Film
-Spain - Valladolid International Film Fest (Oct. 24) - Opening Film
-USC School of Cinema - Special Screening (Oct. 25)
-Wichita, Kansas - Tallgrass Film Festival (Oct. 25, 26)
-Hollywood - Variety Screening Series - Archlight on Sunset (Oct. 28)
-Carthage Film Festival (Oct. 25- Nov.1)
-Washington DC International Film Festival (Nov. 1 & 2)
-Palm Desert, California - Nov. 5
-Delaware - Rehoboth Beach Film Festival (Nov 5,6,9)
-Chicago (Mid. Nov, more info soon)
-Greece - Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Nov 14,16)
-Egypt - Cairo International Film Festival (Nov. 17-22)
-Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival (Nov. 27, 28)
-Opening in Los Angeles Nov 7th Laemlle Music Hall in Beverly Hills

Links to get tickets at www.CaptainAbuRaed.com

Captain Abu Raed wins Grand Prize at Heartland

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"Captain Abu Raed," a Jordanian drama about a janitor who pretends to be an airline pilot, took the top prize at the 2008 Heartland Film Festival on Saturday night. Writer/director Amin Matalqa won the $100,000 grand prize for Best Dramatic Feature, the largest cash award given by any U.S. film festival. The film stars Nadim Sawalha as a humble but wise man who is mistaken for a pilot by the children in his neighborhood, and delights them with fictional stories of his adventures. "At Sundance, we won the award for world cinema. I was so excited, and got up on stage and said, 'I think we can make movies that make a difference.' And I felt like such a doofus, because it was such an idealist thing to say," Matalqa said.
"And here we are 10 months later, and I feel like we're being appreciated, and there is a place where these movies are here to make a difference. It feels like it's just the beginning."

The Oscar race between 67 countries

A record number of 67 countries are competing for the Oscar this year for Best Foreign Film. Here's the final list.

It's a strange and exciting feeling, but I keep telling myself focus on the next movie, focus on the next movie. It's not the destination, it's the journey.