If Girls State is the “sibling film” to the acclaimed Boys State, then Arab Women Say What?! might be the familial flick to Things Arab Men Say. Director Nisreen Baker continues the conversation set by her 2017 documentary with this unofficial follow-up. Arab Women Say What?!, now streaming at NFB.ca, invites audiences to share some tea and stories as Arab women from different backgrounds gather and reflect upon their experiences with sisterly comfort.
Much like Things Arab Men Say, Arab Women Say What? offers a corrective to the representations of Arab people who are often reduced to stereotypes in mainstream media. The film goes beyond the stereotypes, but also leaps over cultural and personal barriers through its intimate observational style. By inviting these women to commune together in a space reserved for them, Arab Women Say What? adds a conversation that the guys of Things Arab Men Say barely mentioned. Together, the films underscore the unique lived experiences for two people who may share a home, a life, and a family.
“I believe that no person, or group of people, is unidimensional,” Baker notes in her director’s statement. “So, the intention behind this film was to reveal the multi-dimensions of Arab women and to dismantle the stereotype of Arab women. I sought to show the grace those women have in addressing challenging issues, their sisterhood, and their resilience in dealing with cultural bereavement. I also wanted to create an open invitation to viewers to join us in our living rooms, at our kitchen tables, our homes, to see and understand us for who we really are, in order to build bridges between those of Arab descent and their fellow Canadians, North Americans and Europeans. It was for these reasons that I chose to film in a fly-on-the-wall, observational style.”
Watch Arab Women Say What? below from the NFB.
And catch Things Arab Men Say here too.
Arab Women Say What?!, Nisreen Baker, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
