Tarzan and Arab, twin brothers from the Gaza Strip, aren’t new to films. They’re major movie buffs and aspiring filmmakers themselves, but they’ve never experienced the particular magic of watching a movie in a theatre. Well, until now, that is.
Inspired by Tarzan and Arab’s story, the fine folks at the Alamo Drafthouse – who know a thing or two about kick-ass communal moviegoing experiences – have flown the brothers into Austin for a whirlwind trip that culminates this Wednesday with a screening of their short film “Colourful Journey,” followed by a screening of a 35mm print of Bergman’s Cries and Whispers.
And you can be there, too. The Alamo’s selling tickets to the show for $10, although, let’s be honest: You can’t really put a price on getting to share in somebody else’s first brush with the whir of a movie projector.
Tarzan and Arab are also raising funds for their first ever feature film; check out the Kickstarter campaign here. And keep reading for what the Alamo’s Caitlin Stevens has to say about the big show.
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We’ve been all sorts of excited over the past few days. If you’ve been following our blog, Facebook or Twitter, you’ve probably seen us mention Tarzan & Arab. You also may not know anything about them! Hence, this email…
Tarzan and Arab – real names Ahmed and Mohammed Abu Nasser – are twin brothers who have spent their entire lives in the Gaza Strip. They’re artists in nearly every sense. Brilliant painters, photographers, and now filmmakers. They cram as much creative equipment and decor into a tiny one bedroom apartment, and when the power goes out, the move it all to a nearby cafe to continue working.
Tarzan and Arab had made a short film, Colourful Journey, but had never seen a movie in a theater. They had studied fine arts but had never been to a gallery. We thought that was nuts, so we flew them to Austin, Texas where we’ll decorating the Ritz with their posters and artwork, screening their short film, and projecting Ingmar Bergman’s Cries and Whispers in 35mm on the big screen.
Long story short, we want to give these guys the best damn movie-going experience we can muster up, and we need your help to do so.
First, you should head over to Badass Digest and read Devin Faraci’s awesome article on the journey the boys have made to get here. It’s a crazy tale of border crossing, being trapped and harassed in Cairo, and lots and lots of travelling.
After you read that, if you’re in Austin, you should buy a ticket to the event on Wednesday and help make Tarzan and Arab’s first ever movie experience the best day ever. The show is at 7:15pm at the Alamo Ritz, and tickets are only $10.
Finally, we want to help them raise funds for their first feature film. There’s a Kickstarter campaign started by Tim League and Harry Knowles that, if you feel so inclined, you could donate to and help some dreams come true!
We are truly excited to have these guys in town and we’ve been taking them to see all sorts of fun thing and eat all sorts of tasty food. We can’t wait to take them to see a movie.
This article appears in October 21 • 2011.
