|
Please Join Us on Wednesday, January 14th, 7:00 PM
When We Discuss
"ARABS and MUSLIMS in HOLLYWOOD"
At the
Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood
7655 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles 90046
Tickets $15
RSVPs/info 310.657.5511 or visit: www.levantinecenter.org
"ARABS AND MUSLIMS IN HOLLYWOOD"
ACTORS/DIRECTORS CHALLENGE STATUS QUO
Join Academy-Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog," "X-Men", "House of Saddam") and actors Omar Metwally ("Rendition", "Munich"), Maz Jobrani ("The Interpreter") and Raya Meddine ("Bosta", "CSI: Miami") as they discuss on a panel how to shake things up and broaden roles for Arab and Muslim actors in Hollywood film and television. Other invited panelists include Tony Shalhoub ("Monk") and directors Stephen Gaghan ("Syriana"), Peter Berg ("The Kingdom"), Jon Favreau ("Iron Man") and casting director April Webster ("Lost", "Criminal Minds").
The panel along with screenings takes place Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, at 7 pm, followed by a reception, and is cosponsored by Levantine Cultural Center, the Screen Actors Guild and the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
In Hollywood, a recent L.A. Weekly article reported, "Middle Eastern American actors have found it nearly impossible to find work as anything other than terrorists or sleazy oil sheiks." ("True Lies" anyone?) The Weekly cited Palestinian American actress Nicole Pano’s trouble getting work because she’s attractive. "They want ugly," Pano said. "They want us to play terrorists, and terrorists are ugly." She has had more luck playing Italians, happily going along with the assumption that because her last name ends in "o," she must be Italian. Other Arab/Muslim actors including Maz Jobrani are now turning down the terrorist parts. (Read Andrew Gumbel’s article in the Weekly.)
Even as the United States finds itself increasing enmeshed in the Arab/Muslim world politically, Hollywood exports a tremendous quantity of film and television programs watched in the Middle East ("Friends" for example is a favorite in Egypt). We are indeed the dominant cultural force in many Arab/Muslim countries. Meanwhile, Americans are finding more and more Arab/Muslim characters in their film and TV programming. Yet:
· How well have Arab/Muslim characters been created in the past?
· What are the biases and stereotypes that Arab/Muslim actors encounter in Hollywood?
· When will we see Arab/Muslim characters in the Middle East not as jihadi terrorists, but as dramatis personae with the same challenges and idiosyncrasies as those in Western dramas and comedies?
· How can we empower directors, writers, casting directors and producers to broaden their understanding, to help portray the complexity of Arab/Muslim characters?
Members of SAG, DGA and the WGA will discuss the issues and view excerpts from a range of features and documentaries. Confirmed panelists include actors Shohreh Aghdashloo, Maz Jobrani, Raya Meddine and Omar Metwally. Also invited are Oded Fehr ("The Mummy", "Sleeper Cell") and Tony Shalhoub ("The Siege", "AmericanEast"); directors Peter Berg, Jon Favreau, and Stephen Gaghan; writer Matthew Michael Carnahan ("The Kingdom", "Lions For Lambs"); and casting director April Webster ("Lost", "Criminal Minds"). Participants subject to availability.
Levantine Cultural Center was founded in 2001 to foster a dialogue of cultures and indeed, forge an alliance of civilizations between the Arab/Muslim world and the United States. The center presents literary, visual and performing arts programs that seek to educate and entertain Americans on the Middle East and North Africa.
"Arabs and Muslims in Hollywood" is cosponsored by SAG’s Affirmative Action and Diversity Department, with support from SAG’s Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee. It is also cosponsored by the Muslim Public Affair Council’s Hollywood Bureau, which is responsible for advancing Muslim American perspectives in the entertainment industry by serving as an information clearinghouse in Islam for the Hollywood community. Visit mpac.org.
Doors open 7 pm. Panel/screenings 7:30-9:00 pm, followed by a reception. Tix $15, LCC/MPAC members $10. SAG/DGA/WGA members free. RSVPs/info 310.657.5511 or visit levantinecenter.org.
|
