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Washington Report, January/February 2006, page 64 Arab-American Activism Palestinian-American Filmmaker Presents Films for Arab Heritage
IN celebration of Chicago’s Arab Heritage month, Saint Xavier University sponsored a Nov. 16 presentation of films by Palestinian-American filmmaker Jackie Salloum. A rousing and informative discussion followed the showing of “Planet of the Arabs” and the trailer for her upcoming film “Slingshot Hip-Hop: The Palestinian Lyrical Front.” Salloum completed “Planet of the Arabs,” a film exposing Hollywood’s vilification and dehumanization of Arabs and Muslims, in 2003, while she studied film at New York University. The film, as she described it, was inspired by her experiences growing up as an Arab American, tired and frustrated by seeing her culture and heritage in a negative light on both television and in the movies. Using Jack Shaheen’s book Reel Bad Arabs as a guide, Salloum created a nine-minute montage of clips from Hollywood films to illustrate this lopsided view of Arabs to the world. The clips she used, mostly from the last 30 years, ranged from “The Muppets” to the Arnold Schwarzenegger hit “True Lies”—and all exhibited Hollywood’s negative depiction of Arabs and Muslims. “Planet of the Arabs” went on to receive an International Editing Award from CinemaTexas Film Festival and was an official selection in the Sundance Film Festival. The second presentation, the trailer “Slingshot Hip-Hop,” to be released in 2006, depicts the hip-hop culture of many young Palestinians in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. The short trailer featured the Palestinian rap group DAM (“eternity”), who grew up as Arabs in Israel, fighting oppression and poverty. Their songs reflect their struggles and the obstacles posed by the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Their CD is scheduled to come out in early to middle 2006. As an Arab and female filmmaker and artist, Jackie Salloum and her films not only have had an effect on the West, but on Arab Americans as well. Her work has inspired many Arab girls to pursue more artistic careers, breaking the mold of assuming more traditional working roles. Salloum’s films can be viewed in their entirety on her web site, <www.JSalloum.org>. —Leen Jaber |
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