Dearborn's Fordson figures in Arab-American experience

I missed Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football and The American Dream at this year’s Traverse City Film Festival, though I did see some of the Fordson high schoolers with their football jerseys on at the awards’ ceremony. Maybe I should have made more of an effort to see it. The film is set at Dearborn’s Fordson high school, built by Henry Ford in 1922 and which is now almost 100 per cent Arab-American. The film has won several awards including at Traverse City and best documentary at the Detroit-Windsor Film Festival. Directed by Rashid Ghazi it follows Fordson’s football team as it prepares for a critical game against its crosstown rival during the last 10 days of Ramadan. The film looks at the players as they try to reconcile their Arabic roots with their role in present day American society. The movie is now being released widely in 11 AMC theatre markets including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago on Sept. 9, just in time for the 10 year recognition of the 9/11 attacks. In this area it will be screened at the AMC Star Fairlane and AMC Star Southfield.