American East

Plot Summary

For Mustafa (Sayed Badreya), a widowed immigrant and the owner of a popular Middle Eastern café, life has become a lot more difficult since the 9/11/ attacks. Living in Los Angeles, Mustafa faces American misconceptions about Arabs and Islamic culture and is constantly aware of strangers’ curiosity and suspicion about his background. He is devoted to his traditions and fights the pressures of modern American life. However, soon his own people begin to turn on him when he decides to open another restaurant with his Jewish friend, Sam (Tony Shalhoub). His Arabic patrons call this partnership an "unholy alliance" and soon Mustafa sees that racial differences and ethnic tensions will be harder to overcome than they seem.