Ramy Youssef And You are an American addressed the issue of the portrayal of Arabs in Hollywood in a talk on identity and storytelling at Doha Film Festival on Tuesday.
The couple were guests at a new festival organized by the Qatar Film Institute in Doha as an extension of its work to nurture talent and films from the MENA region and the Arab diaspora.
The inaugural edition, which comes amid an increasingly thriving independent film scene across the region, kicked off with a major industry event announcing new partnerships between the Qatar Film Committee and companies such as Neon, Department M, Sony, Miramax and Company 3.
Asked whether this activity could have a positive impact on how Hollywood portrays Arabs and Muslims, both Youssef and Amer said more needs to be done.
“If you look Reel “Bad Arabs” it will tell you everything you need to know,” Amer said, referring to the 2006 documentary. Find the bad Arabs: how Hollywood defames the peoplewho analyzed more than 1,000 films with Arab and Muslim characters made between 1896 and 2000.
“We can change this by adding fuel to the fire of all these phenomenal creative people who are here and people who have great stories. You believe in them and give them the space and opportunity to create those stories. We just need more, a lot more. We need to be very aggressive in the way we tell stories and the number of stories we tell,” continued the American actor and comedian, who was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents and raised in Houston.
“There are a lot of things we can do in film, in television, in cartoons, even in shadow puppet theaters. I don't care what it is, but we have to do it as much as possible to counteract everything that has happened in the last 100 years, as we have been portrayed on television in the West.”
He pointed to the rich history of storytelling in the Arab world, as well as its scientific and technological achievements during the so-called Islamic era, lasting from the 8th to the 14th centuries, and its historical figures whose stories also need to be told.
“It's extremely important to bring these characters to life, to understand that we represent an extremely diverse culture and that we have set the standard for many things on this Earth. Unfortunately, that falls by the wayside because we don't really push ourselves to tell these very important stories in a way that educates them at the same time.”
Youssef suggested that Gulf region financiers entering into partnerships with Western companies should not be afraid to speak their minds about the content in which they invest.
“The people who write the checks have much more value to you than your money. What you think should be at that table. From what I've seen, I believe that's what's going on in Doha,” said Youssef, who was born in Queens to Egyptian parents and raised in New Jersey.
“This happens to us all the time. We work for a channel. They say, 'We're giving you money, so we're going to give you our opinion'… so don't be shy. People who take money are used to getting the opinions of those who give money,” he said.
