Making her way to Sundance next month with her debut feature, Palestinian/Jordanian-American director Cherien Dabis, who was on the festival circuit last year with her terrific short Make a Wish, tapped her experiences growing up Arab in a small Ohio town during the first Gulf War when writing Amreeka, a bittersweet, comedic look at otherness. The film, which went through Sundance and Film Independent’s various talent development programs before going in front of cameras last year, will bow at the Eccles later this month. In the meantime we caught up with Dabis to discuss what she watched while prepping her new film, learning about classical music and just what Wong Kar Wai and Prince could do together.

What films and TV shows have you watched recently?

Most recently, I watched Milk, Revolutionary Road, Doubt, Slumdog Millionaire, I’ve Loved You So Long, The Wrestler, Frost/Nixon and Vicki Christina Barcelona. The movie that I’m dying to see that I haven’t yet seen is Rachel Getting Married. I tried, but it was sold out. I actually don’t watch a lot of television. But I just returned from the Middle East where I spent the holiday with family. Turkish soap operas (dubbed into Syrian dialect Arabic) have become all the rage there, so I watched a few episodes of one just out of curiosity. All I have to say is: Yikes! It made Days of Our Lives look good.

Which ones, if any, had any lasting significance for you? Why?

Milk had a lasting significance because of the irony of its timing. If only it was released before the election. I have to believe that it might’ve made a difference. The Wrestler has also stayed with me. I found it to be really heartbreaking, and Mickey Rourke’s performance blew me away.

How do your viewing habits affect your work as a film director?

I’m sure everything I take in inspires my work to a degree, especially if a film makes a particular impression. A performance or the way a scene is shot and edited might trigger an idea or inspire me visually. I watched a ton of films before going into prep on Amreeka, everything from A Woman Under the Influence to Wonderland to Short Cuts to Kieslowski’s trilogy. Everything I watched helped spark my imagination. Whatever type of inspiration I’m looking for as I work influences my viewing habits, so it goes both ways.

What have you been reading lately?

Right now I’m reading Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Obama’s The Audacity of Hope and Alexander Ballinger’s New Cinematographers.

What would be your ideal literary adaptation? Why?

Probably something like Sharon and My Mother in Law by Suad Amiry. It brilliantly captures the sorrow and farce of daily life under occupation and made me both laugh out loud and cry.

What are some of the books you’ve always wanted to read that you haven’t gotten around to?

There are so many! But I’m trying to work my way through them. The Sound and The Fury, Midnight’s Children, A People’s History of the United States (I’ve started it several times. Does that count?), The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Revolutionary Road (especially after watching the movie).

What’s been coming out of your stereo recently?

I went to see The Damnation of Faust at the MET and have been going through an opera/classical phase ever since. So I’ve been listening to Puccini, Vivaldi, Mozart and Tchaikovsky. It’s partly an effort to educate myself because I don’t know a whole lot about classical music. But I really like it. I also just downloaded Kanye West’s new album. I really need to update my music library!

Is music an essential part of your process for conceiving and writing films?

Absolutely. I listen to music obsessively, which is why I really need to update my library. I’ve grown tired of the same old stuff! I had chosen almost my entire temp score for Amreeka as I worked on my rewrites - way before we went into pre-production. I made a playlist and listened to it constantly. Perhaps too much! It helped set a mood for certain moments in the film and an overall tone for the score.

What would be your ideal pairing of director and musician for a concert film? Why?

Wong Kar Wai and Prince… I love them both, they seem like a good match, and I just imagine that it would be visually stunning.