The Documentary

Every American city is shaped by the stories of immigrants. Some are stories we know well. Some have been forgotten. And some are waiting to be discovered.

The Emmy award-winning Arab Indianapolis: A Hidden History, produced by local filmmaker Becky Fisher and photographed by Vinnie Manganello, reveals a new chapter in the diverse history of central Indiana. Host Edward Curtis, a descendant of the first generation of Arabs to settle in the Midwest, teams up with other Arab Americans like Diana Najjar and Sen. Fady Qaddoura in a search for their Indianapolis roots. Together, they discover and reflect on the first Arabic-speaking neighborhood in the city as well as the founding of the first Arab American religious congregation in the 1920s and the contributions of Arab Americans to medicine, military service, and public life. The film concludes in the kitchen as Hiba Alalami, Samia Alajlouni, and the host talk about the diverse meanings of Arab ethnic food traditions while preparing a big meal together.

Emmy awards for best historical documentary (Edward Curtis and Rebecca Fisher), writing (Edward Curtis and Rebecca Fisher), and editing (Cory Fisher). Credit: Lori B. Adams.

Winner of the 2023 Emmy for Best Historical Documentary from the Central Great Lakes Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Arab Indianapolis: A Hidden History also took home awards for Best Writer (Edward Curtis and Rebecca Fisher) and Best Editor (Cory Fisher). The film was an official selection of the 31st annual Heartland International Film Festival, as well.

Arab Indianapolis debuted on WFYI-Indianapolis on June 16, 2022, and was broadcast subsequently on every other PBS affiliate station in Indiana: WNIN-Evansville, Aug. 7; WVUT-Vincennes, Sept. 1, 21, 26; WIPB-Muncie, Sept. 3; WFWA-Fort Wayne, Oct. 16; WTIU-Bloomington, Oct. 23, 26; WNIT-South Bend, Oct. 24; WYIN-Gary, Nov. 18, 2022. In addition, the program has been streamed thousands of times on PBS and the WFYI website.

The film was underwritten by the Arab Indianapolis Foundation, Inc., and Indiana Humanities in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities. It was produced by Fisher Productions in association with Indiana University.