Faten Hamama September 1989 in Montreal

Faten Ahmed Hamama (1931 - 2015) was an Egyptian film and television actress and film producer. She made her screen debut in 1939, when she was only seven years old. In 2000, she was selected as Star of the Century by the Egyptian Writers and Critics organization.

Please donate to the Arab American TV Project today: https://go.gwu.edu/aatv

Background

Arab American TV (AATV) was a Los Angeles-based news and media syndicate. It initially produced a bilingual, magazine-style television program on a weekly basis. It covered local and national community events, showcasing Arab Los Angeles's rich social, cultural and political dimensions. Prominent Arab newsmakers, celebrities and political leaders appeared on AATV frequently.

Part of AATV's content included imported films, TV serials, plays, news and music videos from the region. In a sense, it served as a media bridge between the Arab diaspora in the US and the homeland. AATV operated from the early 1980s until the mid-2000s.

During its first decade, AATV was broadcast over-the-air throughout Southern California. The show capturing the zeitgeist of southern California's Arab American communities. In the 1990s, it grew to reach a national footprint via the International Channel, which was available on many cable television carriers and satellite. It expanded its broadcast hours and put out daily entertainment programming. It was one of the only television programs connecting large parts of Arab America as a whole. In its final years, it became a live talk show that took callers and discussed issues concerning Arab Americans.

To learn more about the project to preserve and make public this video collection, see:    • The Arab American TV Archival Project  

Please donate to the Arab American TV project to support the digitization and cataloging of the ~4000 videos. Your financial support will help us preserve the remaining videos and make the collection public. Donations are tax deductible. Donate here: https://go.gwu.edu/aatv

Preservation of Arab American TV has been possible by funding from the George Washington University, including the Institute for Middle East Studies, The Elliott School of International Affairs, the School of Media & Public Affairs, the University Facilitating Fund and the Humanities Center. Initial support was also given by the Dresher Center for the Humanities at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.