My American Grandmother

6:15 p.m. Saturday, June 24, 2000

Caravan of Dreams

Filmmaker Aysha Ghazoul's personal documentary examines the relationship between her own Iraqi history and the long-held ideas of her Fort Worth native grandmother, a former Casa Manana showgirl during the Centennial period in the '30s and '40s. It explores the conflicts created by cultural and political differences, and focuses on the challenges involved in making a film about a close relative. Integrating personal voice with photographs, historical news footage and home movies, Ghazoul's film not only captures a fascinating piece of her own personal history, but also provides a brief glimpse of the decades old Dallas/Fort Worth rivalry that still survives to this day.