Downtown Huntsville Library
Coming to America - A Film Series
Monday, July 13, 2026 5:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Coming from the West Bank: Amreeka (2009)
When a single mother from Bethlehem wins an American green card in a lottery in the early 2000s, she and her son relocate to live near her sister in Illinois, where they must navigate an unfamiliar land shaped by tensions stemming from the fallout to the 9-11 attacks and the still ongoing Iraq War.
Amreeka was written and directed by Cherien Dabis. Though the film is a work of fiction, the family in the film is based on her own family and many of the events in the film were drawn or inspired from her family’s experiences.
Coming to America – A Film Series
This film series shares four different tales of coming to America: a military thriller about political defection to the U.S., a fish-out-of-water dramedy in the Midwest, a drama about a family seeking opportunity and healing in New York City, and a romantic drama about two childhood friends meeting again far from their birthplace.
July 6: The Hunt for Red October (1990)
July 13: Amreeka (2009)
July 27: Past Lives (2023)
2nd Floor Events Room -- Downtown Huntsville Public Library
Questions: askus@hmcpl.org