Heidi Saman’s ‘Namour’ will be distributed by Ava DuVernay’s film collective

It’s hard for Middle Eastern actors to land roles as characters who aren’t terrorists, cabbies or tech geniuses. It’s just as difficult for Middle Eastern filmmakers to get their projects funded.

That’s why it’s so refreshing to see Philadelphia-based writer-director Heidi Saman‘s 2016 film “Namour,” a coming-of-age dramedy about an everyday Arab-American in Los Angeles, find continued success.

Last week, the film rights to Namour were acquired by Array, a film collective that aims to give people of color and women a platform in the film industry. Array was founded by director and writer Ava Duvernay, and this film from Saman, a Pew Center for Arts & Heritage fellow, will be the 15th film distributed by the collective.

(Name doesn’t ring a bell? Maybe you’ve seen “13th,” Duvernay’s documentary on mass incarceration, or know her as Marley Dias’ muse.)

Namour won the Muse Award during its world premiere at the LA Film Festival this past summer (and was also screened at BlackStar Film Festival in August). Namour will be released on-demand and theatrically on March 15.

Thrilled to be a part of @ARRAYNow and what @ava created. Because of them, my film NAMOUR will be in theaters and Netflix on March 15th. https://t.co/pWReEUqtlg

— Heidi Saman (@Heidi_Saman) January 12, 2017