When Donald Trump became America’s 45th President on a campaign of hate and bigotry, Middle Eastern Americans must have collectively put their heads in their hands and sighed ‘not again.’ After all, they had been through the ringer of racism after the September 11th World Trade Centre attacks. What do you do if you’re a Middle Eastern immigrant and your newly elected President vilifies you for the sake of his own political ambitions?
If you’re Palestinian/American comedian Aron Kader you respond with the tools you have - a stage and a captive audience. That’s the story behind the new documentary “Travel Ban: Make America Laugh Again,” which is written and directed by Samy Chouia. The film explores what it’s like to be brown and immigrant in Trump’s America through the eyes of comedians from Middle Eastern backgrounds.
It chronicles Kader’s journey to stage a one-off stand-up comedy event in Hollywood’s renowned HaHa Comedy Club, featuring a line-up of some of America’s top Middle Eastern and Muslim comedians who comment on the country’s political situation. As Trump continues to solidify his base by repeatedly targeting anyone of an immigrant and Middle Eastern origin, and with racially motivated crimes on the rise, can this maverick comedy troupe tackle hate through the power of laughter?
