Photo Essay: Tarzan and Arab at Alamo Ritz

Last Wednesday, October 26, the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz hosted a very special presentation of an incredible pair of Palestinian artists, along with two related films. Above, Drafthouse founder Tim League introduces the show and explains the enormous task of bringing them to Austin.

Twin brothers and filmmakers Tarzan and Arab (Ahmed and Mohammed Abu Nasser) hail from Gaza, where the last movie theater was destroyed in a bombing two years before they were born. The sons of an art teacher, they conceived an art project where they would create movie posters for imaginary films with titles based on codenames for Israeli military operations.

Tim League introduced the brothers and asked a few questions before showing the short film they wrote, produced, directed, and starred in -- Colourful Journey, the first movie they have ever seen in a real cinema.

The award-winning film was featured in The Guardian where it came to the attention of Harry Knowles, editor of Ain't It Cool News. Knowles shared the story with League, and together they hatched a plan to bring the brothers to the U.S. After a very difficult journey out of Gaza and a three-week wait in Cairo, they finally arrived in the U.S. thanks to the help of a local Congressman.

After the presentation of Colourful Journey, Alamo Drafthouse programmer Lars Nilsen again introduces Tarzan and Arab for a Q&A. The only way the brothers can see movies at home is on television and on DVDs their friends bring them from outside Gaza.

Following the Q&A, Tarzan and Arab sat with the audience to watch their first full-length feature in a theater, Ingmar Bergman's Cries and Whispers. They will spend additional time visiting family in the U.S. before returning home.

The brothers are now working on a feature-film version of Colourful Journey. In order to help fund their production, Tim League has set up a Kickstarter project for them with a goal of $20,000. As of this writing, the crowdfunding project has $4,434 in pledges.