Port Jefferson Documentary Series – "JUST LIKE US"

Is there comedy in the Middle East? To answer that question, a group of "comedy ambassadors" travel from Dubai to Beirut, Riyadh to Cairo, with a double mission: to disrupt the stereotype of Muslims as solemn and threatening; and to deliver some much-needed relief and laughter to the intense reality of everyday life in the Middle East. The result of this unique road show is chronicled in "Just Like Us," a documentary that captures the backstage anxiety of the comedians after busting open cultural taboos in each city. The performers walk the line on jokes about Islam, sexuality, and body parts in the hopes that, as one performer says, if we can learn to laugh at ourselves, the rest of the world will laugh with us. As edifying as it is entertaining, Egyptian-American comic and first-time director Ahmed Ahmed's film shows us the Middle East most Americans have never seen. The film features the comedic antics of Muslim and non-Muslim performers, including Maz Jobrani, Tom Papa, Ted Alexandro, Tommy Davidson, Omid Djalili ("The Infidel"), Whitney Cummings, Sebastian Maniscalco, Angelo Tsarouchas, Sherif Azab, Erik Griffin, and Ahmed Ahmed himself.

The Port Jefferson Documentary Series, sponsored by the Greater Port Jefferson and Northern Brookhaven Arts Council, brings the directors, stars, or experts for each film into the theater for an up-close and personal question and answer session. The guest speaker for "Just Like Us" will be Benedict X. Kasulis, editor of the film

Running time: 72 min.
USA, 2010
Language: English
Director: Ahmed Ahmed