artvamp » events

Profane at the Sydney Underground Film Festival

kristie — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 19:04:00 +0000

September 9, 2011
Sydney Underground Film Festival

Check out a preview here:

Profane premiering at Chicago Underground Film Festival, Gene Siskel Film Center Fridau June 3 & Wednesday June 8

kristie — Sun, 15 May 2011 23:11:27 +0000

For more information click here.

Profane North American film premiere at Boston Underground Film Festival

kristie — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:04:11 +0000

PROFANE will have its US premiere at the Boston Underground Film Festival on Saturday, March 26th & 29th, 2011 at 11:55pm at the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, MA

When in a time of spiritual crisis, people may not be at their most rational. We meet Muna in the midst of just such a situation. Muna lives in Chicago and works as a dominatrix in self-imposed exile from her conservative family in the Middle East. What Muna is searching for is her “jinn,” the Islamic equivalent of a demon. Equal parts good and evil, a jinn is created from smokeless fire and resides in all of us according to the Quran. Muna is essentially seeking out demonic possession.

We stay with Muna throughout her pro-domme sessions, her tenuous friendship with a cabdriver named Ali, who attempts to reconnect her to the culture with which she has lost touch, and her libertine friend Mary, who brings Muna’s rebellious nature to the surface. We follow her through a maze of indulgence and excess in the hopes that she will find the sense of self that has been eluding her during her extended life in the States.

Renowned underground filmmaker Usama Alshaibi pulls no punches in his first film to grace BUFF screens since 2004. With its sado-masochistic eroticism juxtaposed with traditional Islamic imagery, it would be easy to dismiss Profane as anti-religious agit-prop. But Alshaibi invests so much depth in his main character, and so much lurks beneath the surface of his sometimes shocking setpieces, that it is easy to see that Profane is an intensely personal experience for its author. Known equally for his non-fiction filmmaking as he is for his contribution to transgressive cinema, Alshaibi applies his skills as a documentarian to this psycho-sexual horror story of one woman’s struggle with her identity and the culture clash between Middle Eastern mythology and Western pop culture. — Kevin Monahan

Screening in Kansas City: Wave Energies FeedBack

kristie — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:10:43 +0000

Electromediascope Fall 2010: Wave Energies FeedBack: 30 Years of Electronic Media at Kansas City Art Institute

Nelson Atkins Museum of Art
October 15, 2010

Atkins Auditorium | Click here for tickets.

In celebration of the Kansas City Art Institute’s 125th Anniversary, this Electromediascope Program features works by KCAI alumni from the past 30 years.

October 15
Video works by Ascot Smith, Robert Renfrow, Naoko Wowsugi, Robert Heishman, Cyan Meeks, Brendan Meara, Jamie Hitchings and Kristie Alshaibi. Live sound and video performance by Kristin Miltner.

A benefit for American Arab a documentary in progress

kristie — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:02:46 +0000

Kartemquin Films and director Usama Alshaibi invite you to

A BENEFIT FOR AMERICAN ARAB
A documentary in progress

Thursday, August 5th, 6-9pm
The Stan Mansion
2408 North Kedzie, Chicago, Illinois 60647

Enjoy an evening of Music by Black Bear Combo, Middle Eastern Food,
Cash Bar*, Raffle, Belly Dancing, Henna Tattoos, and the World Premiere
of clips from the upcoming film American Arab.

Proceeds will support production of the film.
(Click here for information)

Cinema Alshaibi Saturday June 26 at Fat Rabbit FREE

kristie — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:53:08 +0000

Husband and wife collaborators Usama and Kristie Alshaibi are presenting some rarely seen short videos created between 1998 and 2010. This will include early 16mm films by both directors as well as a number of collaborations shot on a wide array of mediums.

In addition, we will premiere a trailer of Usama’s new feature length movie, “Profane.”

The Alshaibis will be selling copies of their limited edition book A History of Flying Vaginas and their DVD of short artfully perverse films titled “Solar Anus Cinema.”

The event is FREE. But please help the Alshaibis in any way you can by buying merchandise or contributing to http://profanemovie.com to help raise finishing funds for the new feature. BYOB.

Saturday June 26, 2010
@Fat Rabbit 1711 S. Halsted,
Chicago, IL 60608

Usama Alshaibi’s Award-Winning Doc “Nice Bombs” Coming to DVD with Free Screening at Portage Theater October 16, 2009

kristie — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:26:56 +0000

Usama Alshaibi’s Award-Winning Doc “Nice Bombs” Coming to DVD with Free Screening OCTOBER 16 at Portage Theater, 4050 North Milwuakee Ave, Chicago

Showtimes are at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Seating is on a first-come, first-served

To celebrate the release of “Nice Bombs” on DVD, filmmaker Usama Alshaibi and distributor Cinema Obscura are presenting two free screenings of the film at the historic Portage Theater on Friday, October 16, 2009.

In “Nice Bombs,” Alshaibi returns to Baghdad to reunite with his family after nearly 24 years. This documentary navigates through his unique relationship to an Iraq that is much different than the country of his childhood. Through a wide range of opinions and experiences he provides a broad panorama of voices long neglected under Saddam’s regime. With humor and resilience, “Nice Bombs” explores Usama’s dual role as both Iraqi and American.

Michael Philips, film critic at “The Chicago Tribune” and co-host of “At the Movies,” says “Nice Bombs” is “..a surprisingly warm first-person video diary….the footage has been edited with grace and tact.”

Aside from winning Best Documentary at the Chicago Underground Film Festival, “Nice Bombs” aired on the Sundance Channel and was produced by Benzfilm Inc. and Kristie Alshaibi.

The DVD of “Nice Bombs” will be available in stores and on-line October, 27, 2009. Pre-orders are currently accepted now at amazon.com and at cinemaobscuradvd.com.

Usama Alshaibi was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1969 and spent his formative years living between the United States and the Middle East. His work in film and video has been screened at numerous film festivals and venues across the globe. He is the recipient of a generous 2005 grant from the Creative Capital Foundation for the Arts and a Playboy Foundation Award, as well as the winner of the Creative Promise Award at Tribeca All Access in New York City.

Screenings in the Netherlands

kristie — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:48:29 +0000

Usama and Kristie will be doing a residency in the Netherlands at Extrapool, along with Chicago-based performance artist Magic is Küntmaster. We will be screening films directed by Usama on the followiung dates:

Friday, 20th of March, 2009 at Extrapool in Nijmegen, Netherlands: New Solar Anus Cinema and a few surprises. Click for details: www.extrapool.nl

Tuesday, 24th of March at Ruinte-x in Tilburg, Netherlands: Iraqi shorts and a sneak preview of Usama’s new project. Click for details: www.ruimte-x.nl/

We will visiting Amsterdam as well, so if you’d like to have us screen our movies, just send us an email: artvamp@artvamp.com

NICE BOMBS playing New York City September 10, 2008

kristie — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:29:35 +0000

Nice Bombs showing at New Filmmakers screening series

Anthology Film Archive
32 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10003
on Wed Sept 10th @ 8:45 pm

We Shoot Your Music – April 25

kristie — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:23:57 +0000

WE SHOOT YOUR MUSIC
Music Videos from 1998-2008

WHAT: Music Videos by Usama and Kristie Alshaibi from 1998-2008

WHEN: Friday April 25, 2008 at 9:00 pm

WHERE: Medicine Park Gallery 2659 West Chicago Ave, Chicago 60622
(phone: 773.255.5582)

CONTACT: Amy Cargill : medparkchicago@gmail.com

IN ATTENDANCE: Kristie and Usama Alshaibi with Performance by Magic is
Küntmaster and Mykel Boyd.

http://www.medparkchicago.com
http://wwww.dancehabibi.com

“Although I have worked with many of these musicians on narrative and experimental films, these videos are made specifically for their music. All these were shot in Chicago in collaboration with the musicians and other filmmakers. You will notice some of the musicians as actors in other videos as well. Although I have directed most of these, Kristie and I work very closely together. She has worked as producer, performer and on her latest debut, as director for the new Magic is Küntmaster music video. The videos were shot on a variety of formats from analog tube cameras to HD.”
–Usama Alshaibi:
usama@artvamp.com

FORGET HER music by Magic is Küntmaster (4:45, video,directed by Kristie Alshaibi with Camilla
Ha)

TELL THE POLICE THE TRUTH music by Mahjongg (3:57, video, directed and edited by Usama
Alshaibi with Mahjongg, cinematography Amy Cargill)

WHOOP DRAFT music by Water Babies (4:27, video, by Usama Alshaibi)

VANITAS music by Bobby Conn (8:00, video, directed by Usama Alshaibi, produced by Kristie
Alshaibi, cinematography by Chris Rejano, edited by Amy Cargill)

WHEN THE MONEY’S GONE music by Bobby Conn (3:23, video, directed by Usama Alshaibi,
produced by Kristie Alshaibi, cinematography by Chris Rejano, edited by Amy Cargill)

KING FOR A DAY (CD Version) music by Bobby Conn (4:00, video, directed by Usama Alshaibi,
produced by Kristie Alshaibi, cinematography by Chris Rejano, edited by Amy Cargill)

KING FOR A DAY (Party Version) music by Bobby Conn (4:00, video, by Usama Alshaibi)

LOVELY LITTLE GIRLS LIVE music by Lovely Little Girls (4:50, video, by Usama Alshaibi)

STABBED IN THE FACE music by Panicsville (6:53, video, by Usama Alshaibi)

HOLD MY SCISSORS music by Magic is Küntmaster (4:17, video, directed and edited by Usama
Alshaibi with Camilla Ha)

ANGELS music by Bobby Conn (4:30, video, by Usama Alshaibi)

THE SPEECH music by Zeek Sheck (4:30, 16mm film, directed by Usama Alshaibi)