REVIEWS

CAST OF VILLAINS | 23 June 2007
by William Booth (Washington Post)

LOS ANGELES -- A full house has turned out at the Directors Guild of America for the L.A. premiere of the new documentary Reel Bad Arabs, which makes the case that Hollywood is obsessed with "the three Bs" -- belly dancers, billionaire sheiks and bombers -- in a largely unchallenged vilification of Middle Easterners here and abroad.
"In every movie they make, every time an Arab utters the word Allah? Something blows up," says Eyad Zahra, a young filmmaker who organized the screening this week with the support of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. READ MORE


DESPOT, OIL SHEIKH, TERRORIST | 22-28 March 2007
by Samer Elatrash (Montreal Mirror)

In a scene from the 1994 blockbuster True Lies, Arnold Schwarzenegger executes a squawking Palestinian terrorist by tying him to a missile and firing it at a helicopter crammed with more Palestinians. In The Delta Force, Chuck Norris wallops Palestinian terrorists aboard an airliner. In the 2000 movie Rules of Engagement, a colonel played by Samuel Jackson orders his troops to fire on Yemeni demonstrators. Dozens are killed. A young girl loses her leg. It’s a day that will live in… But no! At the end of the movie, it emerges that all the demonstrators, even the young girl, had fired at the Americans! READ MORE


REEL BAD ARABS REVIEW | March 2007
by Omar Attum (Egypt Today)

Arabs are the most maligned group in the history of Hollywood — so says Dr. Jack Shaheen, noted media critic, author and host of the new documentary film produced by the Media Education Foundation, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People.
In Shaheen’s eyes, it is a given that Arabs will be showcased negatively in Hollywood. Of the more than 1,000 movies Shaheen watched that portrayed Arabs, he found that only a dismal six to seven percent could be considered positive or non-offensive towards Arabs. READ MORE


BID TO UNRAVEL 'BAD ARAB' CLICHE | 17 December 2006
by Motez Bishara (Al Jazeera)

The 3rd Dubai International Film Festival took a giant leap towards combating racial stereotyping in the film industry when it hosted 'Operation Cultural Bridge', a panel discussion late last week.
Moderator Riz Khan [Al Jazeera English] opened the debate with a question to director Oliver Stone whether Middle Eastern characters have been unfairly characterised by the film industry.
Khan was referencing a documentary film in the festival called Reel Bad Arabs which chronicled 40 years of Arab demonisation on screen. READ MORE