Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
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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Arab themes dominate 32nd Annual Israeli Film Festival in Los Angeles Films include “Foreign Land,” “In Her Footsteps,” “The Oslo Diaries,” “Avanti Popolo,” “Tzeva Adom: Color Red” The 32nd Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles, California, the largest showcase of Israeli films in the United States and taking place November 6th – 20th, will premiere…
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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…
Middle East Human Rights Film Fest June 9-18 THE 2017 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH FILM FESTIVAL, Co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and IFC Center, June 9-18, 2017. 21 Films & Discussions Showcase Courageous Activists During Challenging Times New York, May 9, 2017 – The Human Rights Watch Film Festival will be presented June 9-18, 2017 with 21…
The Power of Hollywood Movies in the Palestine & Middle East conflicts Ray Hanania’s podcast is an audio version of his column published Jan. 26, 2017 in the Arab News in Saudi Arabia. It discusses the power of movies and how they can significantly alter, change and impact the beliefs of the American people. Why…
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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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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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Usama Alshaibi’s documentary “American Arab” has its national television premiere on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, at 8 p.m. on WORLD Channel (check local listings), as part of the fourth season of AMERICA REFRAMED, public media’s newest documentary series. The film, made through Chicago production collective Kartemquin Films (makers of THE INTERRUPTERS), will be available for free streaming on www.worldchannel.org starting February…
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Jordan nominates “Theeb” for 88th Academy Awards Award–winning Jordanian feature narrative “Theeb”, by director Naji Abu Nowar, is Jordan’s official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 88th Academy Awards, the Royal Film Commission (RFC) announced recently. The selection was made by a committee of Jordanian artists and craftspeople involved in the…
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The life and works of Palestinian filmmaker Michel Khleifi will be celebrated in London at the Shabbak Festival featuring his films and the films of others. Khleifi produced the West Bank’s first documentary film in 1980 “Fertile Memory” For many years, Michel Khleifi was the ultimate voice of Palestinian cinema. Emerging from the ashes of PLO…
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Malik B. Ali and his late brother Waleed B. Ali launched a business Maljack Productions that began by acquiring the rights to old films abandoned by the movie industry, but in recent years has now began producing its own films. Now known as MPI, the company owns the rights to 2,500 films including the classic…
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…
Iran Torture Jon Stewart ROSEWATER Israel Torture Vanunu Youtube By Eileen Fleming Jon Stewart’s directorial debut “Rosewater” premiers at this weekend’s Telluride Film Festival ahead of its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September-a trailer can be viewed at YouTube HERE “Rosewater” is based on the best-selling memoir by Maziar Bahari, Then…
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