Abouna - Episode 1

Attempting to make positive change, a young Coptic priest faces challenges with his identity and culture in his new role.

"Abouna" is a film series about a new priest who has just been ordained in a traditional church, and he quickly discovers that there's much more to being a priest than he expected. This project is based on research conducted by Andrew Ishak at Santa Clara University in California.

Starring:
Dina Hanna
Bassem Shenouda
David Shenouda
Roxanne Masdary
Raquel Garcia
Mario Yany
Mariam Roshdy
Waguih Ishak
Ragaa Ishak
Nady Ishak
Andrew Moussa
Emmy Banoub
Andrew Ishak

Official Selection:
//Mosaic World Film Festival 2024 (Best Feature)
//Davis Film Festival 2023 (3rd Place)
//Atlanta Christian Film Festival 2024
//Riverside International Film Festival 2024
//Nieves Christian Film Festival 2024
//Faith Fest 2024
//Perth Christian Film Festival 2024
//World Culture Film Festival LA 2024

About the creator: Abouna is created by Andrew Ishak at Santa Clara University. Andrew grew up in the Coptic church and currently attends with his wife and kids. For this project, Andrew interviewed a number of young priests, priest's wives, and other members of the church about their experiences.

This project is not officially affiliated with the Coptic Orthodox Church.

For all inquiries, please contact Andrew at [email protected]

Full list of screenings: andrewishak.com/abouna