TN Productions

22/08/2024

21/07/2024

Manny Jacinto reveals he is currently working with Filipino writers and producers to develop projects.

“Maybe it’s my lack of faith in this industry, but the people of color who find success, I feel like they still have to work at it and continue to fight for roles. The people I look up to, if you look at Steven Yeun, or Kumail Nanjiani, or even Donald Glover—they all had to, in some shape or form, create [projects for themselves] in order to continue to have a platform. Or even look at Dev Patel! He’s a huge star, but he had to make Monkey Man himself [to get an action role like that], and that was even shelved at one point. That's crazy to me. So that's why I have this caution towards whether or not the industry will move things forward for my career. If anything, it fuels me to try and create things on my own terms and hopefully lead projects that way.”

(via: GQ)

01/04/2024

It's not just April fools, it's also the beginning of Arab American Heritage Month and Celebrate Diversity Month! To ring in this special month, me (Dina Najjar) and my friend Jonathan T Akkawi have an important message for Hollywood on behalf of Palestinian and MENA/SWANA artists.

Written and performed by me and Jon
Edited by Perla Nino
All Palestinian artists

08/03/2024

16/12/2023

Thank you, Darin J. Sallam. 🇵🇸

Know your values as an artist and as a human. What are the stories you want to tell? Know what you stand for.

13/12/2023

Palestine: Bye Bye Tiberias, directed by Lina Soualem

The first Palestinian film to ever be submitted to the Oscars, Elia Suleiman’s Divine Intervention, caused controversy; despite being nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, producer Humbert Balsam claimed that after asking the Academy if the film could run for (what was then called) Best Foreign Language Film, the answer was no, as “Palestine is not a state we recognize in our rules.” An Academy spokesperson denied that a decision was made on the issue, but was met with backlash. The following year the film was eligible for consideration. Bye Bye Tiberias would be the third submission from Palestine to be nominated, after Paradise Now and Omar.

Synopsis: “At the age of 23, Hiam Abbass…made the difficult decision to leave her grandmother, mother, and seven sisters in the Palestinian village of Deir Hanna to pursue acting in France. Years later, with her daughter, the film’s director Lina Soualem, in tow, Abbass began annual returns to her rapidly changing childhood home during the summer, each of their visits captured on home video by Soualem’s father, French actor Zinedine Soualem.

Abbass would take Soualem to Lake Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus is said to have walked on water. Abbass’s grandparents, Um Ali and Hosni Tabari, were expelled from Tiberias in 1948. From the water, Abbass would show Soualem the world she was also a part of: an Arab world divided by conflict and colonial interference that redetermined the landscape, still joined however by family, mountains, rivers, and valleys with Syria to the east, Lebanon to the north, Jordan to the south.

Braiding together old and new family records with pre-1948 archival material, including poetry and personal narrative, Soualem — in a trenchant and assured follow-up to her feature debut Their Algeria — tells a meditative story about four generations of women working hard to mend the seams of multiple separations, forced and chosen.” – Nataleah Hunter-Young, TIFF

13/12/2023

With the Oscars shortlist set to be unveiled on December 21, we thought we’d round up all the film submissions from the Arab world, to root for their chances and to celebrate another incredible year for Arab cinema. Films helm from Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia and Palestine. Read via the link below and make sure to always !

https://arabfilminstitute.org/every-arab-film-submitted-for-the-oscar-for-best-international-film-2023/

09/12/2023

Check out Palestinian Stories on Netflix ⬇️

On October 14th, Netflix will launch the Palestinian Stories collection, showcasing films from some of the Arab world’s finest filmmakers

06/12/2023

Thanks for featuring us, The Nerds of Color!

We're doing a spotlight on some terrific SWANASA Actors that you all need to know so be sure to stay tuned for more! For the first round we have:

(From Left to Right, Top to Bottom)










Check them out in our latest article!

01/12/2023

With everything going on in the world today, our 2017 film "Grape Leaves" seems more relevant than ever. Give it a watch and share if it resonates with you.

A well-respected, Arab American professor must reshape her life and all she understood and trusted in the wake of an unthinkable tragedy. https://www.facebook.com/GrapeLeavesFilm/ https://messagesproductions.wixsite.com/grapeleavesfilm

30/11/2023

Created in 2010 by children in Gaza through Ashtar Theatre, The Gaza Monologues are truer now more than ever. Thanks to Angel Falls Theater Productions for responding to the global call from Ashtar Theatre to perform these monologues by organizing a reading of all of them that premiered yesterday, The Day of International Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Also thanks to the lovely actors who joined me in the readings.

Ashtar for Theatre Productions and Training عشتار لإنتاج وتدريب المسرح

An Angel Falls Theater Productionhttps://angelfallsprods.editorx.io/angelfallsprods In Association with Ashta...

29/10/2023

The good ones.

27/10/2023

The Women in Film Project Interview

26/09/2023

We're loving this sentiment from Chanya Button! Great energy for this !

30/08/2023

My short play I wrote a few years ago for Play-In-A-Day called "Detention" was selected by a student director as part of CFC Arts Directing Camp. It was her first time directing, and I was honored that she chose my piece.

27/08/2023

Grateful for the opportunities to be a programmer at two great film fests the past year elevating the voices of both Florida and MENA/SWANA filmmakers. Thanks to the Florida Film Festival and the MENA Film Festival! 🎬

21/07/2023

The future of our profession is at stake. We stand in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA and the WGA. We like our art created by people who should be fairly compensated for their work.

16/06/2023

05/06/2023

👏👏👏

This quote from is perfect for ! Representation truly matters. It is POWERFUL. It can CHANGE POLICY.

02/06/2023

Some film fest comments on "Damaged":
"The dark and powerful film attempts to show the toll compartmentalizing emotions can take on a person who does not set boundaries for those who are in her life.

The film was well executed and, while possibly being a trigger to some, should be a wake-up call for many others."

23/05/2023

This would be great for male directors to attend as well and get some valuable insight ⬇️

Seeking more robust and expanded female-focused storytelling in your creative work? Join AWD as Author Stacey Simmons, PhD helps participants bypass the outdated patriarchal storytelling model and leads them through this newly-discovered, women-driven model.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Tickets at link in bio.

19/05/2023

👏

May Calamawy joins Ridley Scott’s ‘GLADIATOR 2’ as the female lead.

16/05/2023

What a perfect way to start the week! Ingrid Jungermann for the win!

12/05/2023

Great quote by Ali Wong. How nice is it when you get to see people as just people? Working towards the same representation for my people. And if you aren't watching "Beef", check it out. Fantastic work by Ali and the other actors and a unique story. Kudos again to A24. 👏

11/05/2023

Starring and co-created by Mo Amer, 'Mo' is a hilarious exploration of what it means to move through the world (or well, Houston, TX), depicting an immigrant tale that refuses to sugarcoat what it means to aspire to the “American Dream.” ✨

For capturing a moving portrait of a Palestinian-American just trying to make it by, no matter the obstacles, 'Mo' is a . 🏆 Teresa Ruiz Netflix A24

11/05/2023

Have you watched our Summit yet?

We talked with an expert panel about representation in media. Award-winning producer Christine Kunewa Walker shared her hopes for the industry.

Watch the full event: https://youtu.be/Th2XxbmUM4c

05/05/2023

Give us the opportunities to shine!

This report asks the question: are limited opportunities (i.e. directing your first major studio film) equitably afforded to women and people of color?

04/05/2023

"Palestinians call for widespread boycotts of Marvel’s 2024 film, Captain America: New World Order, unless it drops Sabra/Ruth Bat-Seraph, its “superhero” that personifies the apartheid state of Israel.

The character’s backstory includes working for the Israeli government and occupation forces. By reviving this racist character in any form, Marvel is promoting Israel’s brutal oppression of Palestinians.

We encourage creative, peaceful protests to challenge Marvel Studios’ – and its owner Disney’s – complicity in anti-Palestinian racism, Israeli propaganda, and the glorification of settler-colonial violence against Indigenous people.

Principled filmgoers would have boycotted a movie featuring a superhero that represented the South African apartheid regime. Likewise, we urge conscientious audiences worldwide to join us in boycotting Captain America: New World Order, and standing up for freedom, justice and equality."

Palestinian film and arts organizations call for boycotts of Captain America: New World Order

01/05/2023

Thanks for having us, Sunscreen Film Festival! Grateful for a full house for the world premiere of "Damaged."

30/04/2023

In honor of National Arab American Heritage Month, every Sunday this month, I will showcase a film or TV show led by MENA/SWANA actors, writers, and directors.

Farha (Film) - After persuading her father to continue her education in the city, a Palestinian girl's dream is shattered by the harrowing developments of the Nakba. This film tells the story of the Nakba for the first time and is based on a true story.

The Nakba also known as the Palestinian Catastrophe, was the destruction of Palestinian society and homeland in 1948, and the permanent displacement of a majority of the Palestinian Arabs. Zionist forces took more than 78 percent of historic Palestine, ethnically cleansed and destroyed about 530 villages and cities, and killed about 15,000 Palestinians in a series of mass atrocities, including more than 70 massacres. My mother's parents (my grandparents) lost their business, their home, and everything they had because of the Nakba. They had to completely start over. The Israeli government is still killing and driving out Palestinians to this day including women and children. Watch and learn the true history.

Stream Farha on Netflix.

Bonus:
After you watch Farha, watch the documentary Tantura to learn more about the Nakba and hear from real people who were involved including Israeli soldiers. Then read about the Sykes–Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration to learn how this all came to be.

Stream Tantura on Prime Video.