Bridging America and the Middle East: Part 2

http://www.levantinecenter.org/ On the evening of Thursday, December 3, 2009, three prominent Hollywood producers came together to talk about how their medium, film and television, can be a positive force in bridging Americans and the Arab/Muslim world. A video of their conversation, which was moderated by bestselling author Reza Aslan, will be available shortly. To order a copy, contact Levantine Cultural Center, 310.657.5511. All photos by Noora Elkoussy.


Mark Amin, a native of Iran, most recently served as Vice Chairman of Lions Gate Entertainment, where he was on the Board of Directors for nine years. Through his independent production company, Sobini Films, which has a first-look deal with Lions Gate, Amin has continued to produce a diverse slate of feature films. During his stewardship of Lions Gate, the company's revenues grew from $184M to $1.2B; during the same period, Lions Gate produced and distributed such critically acclaimed films as "Monster's Ball," which earned Halle Berry an Academy Award for Best Actress, and "Crash," which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as blockbusters such as "Saw" and the Tyler Perry "Madea" franchise.

Howard Gordon graduated from Princeton and has written and/or produced such television shows as "Spenser: For Hire," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "X-Files." He is the writer and showrunner/producer of the hit show "24" starring Kiefer Sutherland. "24" came under criticism for the way Arabs/Muslims were portrayed, which led to the development of a friendship with Dalia Mogahed, co-author of the book "Who Speaks For Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think" (Gallup). Gordon has been active in bridging Arab/Muslim communities and Hollywood, having worked with MPAC, the Islamic Center, the WGA, Levantine Cultural Center and MOST (Muslims on Screen and Television).

Barrie M. Osborne is currently producing "The Warriors Way" starring Jang Dong Gun, Geoffrey Rush, Kate Bosworth, and Danny Houston. He is developing a big-budget bio pic about the Prophet Mohammed. As producer of "The Lord of the Rings: Return Of The King," Osborne won many awards including the 2004 Academy Award and the British Academy of Film and Television Award for Best Picture. Among other credits, Osborne executive produced "The Matrix." His other producing credits include "The Waterhorse," "Face/Off" and "China Moon" and executive producer on "The Worlds Fastest Indian," "Little Fish," "The Fan," "Dick Tracy," "Child's Play," "Wilder Napalm," "Rapa Nui" and "Peggy Sue Got Married."

Reza Aslan, an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions, is a fellow at the University of Southern California's Center on Public Diplomacy and Middle East Analyst for CBS News. Aslan is cofounder and creative director of BoomGen Studios, a hub for creative content from and about the Middle East, as well as the Editorial Executive of Mecca.com, an on-line community for Muslim youth. He is on the national advisory board of Levantine Cultural Center. Born in Iran, he now lives in Los Angeles where he is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at University of California, Riverside.

This evening was hosted by Lawrence Joseph, the author of several books, among others "Apocalypse 2012: An Investigation Into Civilization's End." An American of Lebanese heritage, he has been active with the Arab American Institute (AAI) and other efforts that promote greater understanding of Arab American cultural identity. He also produced the documentary "Lebanon Summer 2006."

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Tags:

• hollywood film
• television
• arab world
• muslims
• iranian culture
• middle east arts
• anti-Arab stereotyping
• mark amin
• howard gordon
• barrie osborne
• reza aslan
• levantine cultural center