The USA (United States Artists) is an organization that exists to continually support the work of emerging and established artists here in the United States. Every year, they dole out a grant of $50,000 to artists in several categories, including film. This year’s list includes the brilliant Ramin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo), Natalia Almada (The Other Side), Almudena Carracedo (Made in LA), Cherien Dabis (Amreeka), Anne Lewis (Morristown: In the Air and Sun), Tina Mabry (Mississippi Damned), and Laura Poitras (The Oath). We’re anxious to see what these talents continue to offer. For an interview with Ramin Bahrani, click in this vicinity.

‘Amreeka,’ a hit at this year’s Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals, tells a warmhearted, recognizable story about a family of Palestinian immigrants that smartly resists the urge to preach or turn political.