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Will Smith violence takes Oscar protests to dangerous level When Hollywood actor Will Smith walked on stage of the 94th Academy of Arts and Sciences Oscars Award on Sunday March 27, 2022, and punched comedian Chris Rock in the face with an open fist, he elevated and personalized what has been an occasional occurrence of…
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Oscars? When will we have “The Abdullahs?” Hollywood has been at war with the Arab World since it produced its very first movie. And it is has only gotten worse. Hollywood is one of the biggest contributory factors fueling anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism and hatred, despite their occasional words of “diversity.” Not since Vanessa Redgrave…
Only one Arab movie makes Oscar cut The Middle East war often flares up on the big screen between the forces of the racist communications savvy Israel and the oppressed people of Palestine and the Arab World. But this year, only one movie has made it to the partisan prejudices of the corrupt Western World,…
A very special Oscar Night One of my personal favorite topics is the movie industry and the racism and bias that the industry allows based on politics. This incident involving Vanessa Redgrave back in 1978 impacted my life and characterized the injustices of the American media on so many levels By Ray Hanania (Originally published…
Plight of Syrians competes for Oscar This year’s Academy Awards Oscar presentation of Hollywood Film Oscars includes only two submissions addressing Arab World issues, one on the plight of Syrian refugees and the terrorist war in Aleppo, Syria, and the other a historical drama set during the Algerian civil war of the 1990s. By Ray Hanania Once again…
Now that the Oscars are over, can we have a real discussion about the absence of fairness, the racism, stereotypes and bias that consumes the Hollywood movie industry? And to be honest, African Americans have a lot to complain about here in America over the past 400 years for sure, but they really are the last…
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The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan served as the backdrop for three Oscar nominated films in this year’s Academy Awards. Jordan has a long history as a setting for movies including Lawrence of Arabia, The Hurt Locker, Indiana Jones and the Lost Crusade and Zero Dark Thirty. This years entries include Martian, Theeb and A War. As…
Palestinian groups calls on Oscar nominees at this year’s Academy Awards to reject the “Israel propaganda trip” valued at over $50,000 that is included in this year’s “swag bags” Palestinian human rights activists are calling on Oscar nominees not to accept travel vouchers supplied by the Israeli government as part of the gift bag that…
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African Americans left out of this year’s Oscar Nominations have again complained, but the focus seems not to be on diversity but rather on African Americans. Minority minorities and other people of color left out of the movie industry are being left out in this debate, too. The issue of the Hollywood bias isn’t about…
An Arabic language film, Theeb, was nominated for an Oscar by the Academy Awards on Thursday. The film is the story about a young boy who helps a British soldier during World War I. Theeb, the Arabic language story of a young bedouin boy who embarks on a journey through the Ottoman Empire during World…
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A look back at the Oscars and the Academy Awards night from 1978 when Palestine and Israel clashed on stage for the first time. Here’s one of several columns I published over the years reflecting on that moment, this one published in 2006. By Ray Hanania A very special Oscars Night BY RAY HANANIA (Originally…
“From Palestine” echoes from Oscars to the World By Ray Hanania In 1978, I remembered the passion and the excitement when actress Vanessa Redgrave stood up powerfully to confront the “Zionist bullies” she denounced from the Oscar stage who protested against her solely because she had the courage to support the production of a Documentary…
Three Arab films receive Oscar Nominations: The Square, Karama Has No Walls and Omar No sooner did Netflix announce that it would be offering The Square among its popular movie selections but the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced the film was a nominee for one of this year’s coveted Oscars. The Square is among…
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