Why do supremely talented artists and intellectuals in America consider it perfectly “realistic” to depict Arabs and Muslims in a fashion that would be described as bigoted, if applied to blacks, Jews, gays, Native Americans, et al?
Valentino’s Ghost exposes the ways in which America's foreign policy agenda in the Middle East drives the U.S. media's portrayals of Arabs and Muslims. The film lays bare the truths behind taboo subjects that are conspicuously avoided, or merely treated as sound bites, by the mainstream American media: "Why do they hate us?" "Why do we hate them?" What were the events that led to the 9/11 attacks? What are the politics behind the U.S.-Israeli relationship? Why is there a robust debate about these subjects in Europe, the Arab World and in Israel itself, but not in the United States? Valentino's Ghost provides a fresh inquiry which challenges the media's daily barrage of rhetoric and misinformation about our complex and vital relationship with this part of the world.
This event is co-sponsored by Arab America.
Join the Q&A discussion with:
Michael Singh - Filmmaker
Waleed F. Mahdi - Assistant Professor of US-Arab cultural politics, Univ. of Oklahoma
Rosemarie Esber (moderator) - Author, oral historian, and international gender specialist
Register to watch film and participate: https://tinyurl.com/VFHLseptember2021
Watch the Trailer here: tinyurl.com/ValentinoTrailer