The Arab American Comedy Festival (NYAACF) is excited to announce its 20th Anniversary tour, kicking off in Boston and embarking on a year-long tour to 5 of the most prestigious performance venues in the US. For two decades, the festival has upheld its commitment to combating negative media portrayals of Arab Americans and Muslims, while showcasing the incredible talent within the community and fostering connections with industry professionals.
Maysoon Zayid, comedian, inspirational speaker and ... view more »
The Arab American Comedy Festival (NYAACF) is excited to announce its 20th Anniversary tour, kicking off in Boston and embarking on a year-long tour to 5 of the most prestigious performance venues in the US. For two decades, the festival has upheld its commitment to combating negative media portrayals of Arab Americans and Muslims, while showcasing the incredible talent within the community and fostering connections with industry professionals.
Maysoon Zayid, comedian, inspirational speaker and co-founder of the festival, “From the very beginning, our festival has aimed to challenge stereotypes and amplify Arab American voices. We started our festival shortly after 9/11. We used the power of comedy to refute negative stereotypes and create understanding and community. In the face of renewed islamophobia from political scapegoating of Arab immigrants, the festival’s anti-hate messaging is more vital than ever.”
“For two decades, the festival has been a platform for emerging and established comedians to shine. Festival alumni have achieved incredible success, recognition at the Golden Globes and Emmys, and starring in and writing for specials and series on Comedy Central, Netflix, HBO, Hulu and more. We are proud of their accomplishments and the impact they have made in breaking barriers and expanding representation,” says co-Founder Dean Obeidallah.
The NYAACF 20th Anniversary Tour is presented by the Doris Duke Foundation (DDF) as part of their Building Bridges Program, which works to counter hate directed at Muslims through storytelling and multimedia initiatives.
Comedians performing include:
Maysoon Zayid (record setting TED Talk “I’ve got 99 Problems… Palsy is Just One,” regular on CNN, MSNBC, OWN and General Hospital), Dean Obeidallah (MSNBC, CNN, The Dean Obeidallah Show” on SiriusXM radio, Comedy Central’s “Axis of Evil,” award-winning doc “The Muslims are Coming!”), Nina Kharoufeh (The Food Network. TLC), Eman Morgan (Showtime, Netflix, Funny or Die), Atheer Yacoub (Comedy Central Special, Gotham Comedy Live), Mohanad Elshieky (Comedy Central, Conan, Lemonade’s “I’m Sorry” podcast, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee)
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