EUGENE, OR - "A Festival of Films from Around the Muslim World" will be held at Lane Community College on Wednesdays from April 10 through May 29 the Lane Community College Downtown Campus Academic Building, 101 W. 10th Ave., Eugene. The films begin at 7 p.m. in Room 421 at the Downtown Campus.
All events are free and open to the public.
The first film on April 10 will be presented by Dr. Rick Colby, professor of religious studies at the University of Oregon. He will lecture on, "Reel Bad Arabs and Muslims: Images of the Arab World Made in the U.S.A.," and show the 50-minute documentary, "Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People," directed by Sut Jhally (Canada, 2006).
The documentary explores the images of Arabs and Muslims produced in Hollywood from the time of silent films to the films and TV shows of the 21st century. It features the prominent scholar, consultant and media expert Jack Shaheen (himself an Arab-American of Christian origins) who discusses the history of stereotypical and almost uniformly negative portrayals of Arabs in Hollywood. Shaheen argues that Hollywood and U.S. media images of Arabs as a "threat" began long before the Iran-hostage crisis of 1979, and even longer before the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. Rather, he builds a case that both the legacy of Orientalism as well as the history U.S. foreign policy toward Arab countries is largely to blame for the perpetuation of uncritical media stereotypes of the "reel bad Arab" and "reel bad Muslim."
The series in full:
* April 10: "Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People," directed by Sut Jhally (Canada, 2006). Presenter: Dr. Rick Colby, religious studies professor, University of Oregon.
* April 17: "5 Broken Cameras," directed by Emad Burnat, with Guy Davidi (Palestine, 2012). Presenter: Ibrahim Hamide, human rights activist.
* April 24: "In the Name of God," directed by Shoaib Mansoor (Pakistan, 2007). Presenter: Anita Weiss, international studies professor, University of Oregon.
* May 1: "Turtles Can Fly," directed by Bahman Ghobadi (Iran, 2004). Presenter: Doug Foster, geography doctoral candidate, University of Oregon.
* May 8: "Syrian Bride," directed by Eran Riklis (Israel, 2004) Presenter: Bill Woolum, literature instructor, Lane Community College.
* May 15: "Offside," directed by Jafar Panahi (Iran, 2006). Presenter: Sarah Washburn, history instructor, Lane Community College.
* May 22: "A Separation," directed by Asghar Farhadi (Iran, 2011). Presenter: Michael McDonald, literature instructor, Lane Community College.
* May 29: "Matrilineal Muslim Women of Minang," directed by Irum Shiekh (Indonesia/US, 2013). Presenter: Nadia Raza, sociology instructor, Lane Community College.
For more information about "A Festival of Films from Around the Muslim World" presented by Lane Community College, contact Clif Trolin, philosophy and religion instructor, at (541) 463-5834 or trolinc@lanecc.edu
For disability accommodations, contact Center for Accessible Resources at (541) 463-5150 or (541) 463-3079 (TTY) one week in advance.
Lane is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Visit online at www.lanecc.edu or www.twitter.com/lanenews or www.facebook.com/lanecommunitycollege
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Media contact: Joan Aschim, PIO, aschimj@lanecc.edu or (541) 463-5591