Planet of the Arabs

2005

10min

Arab-American multimedia artist and filmmaker Jackie Reem Salloum combines footage from scores of movies and television programs to create her epic remix 'Planet of the Arabs'. Its a trailer-esque montage spectacle of Hollywood's relentless vilification and dehumanization of Arabs and Muslims. Inspired by the book 'Reel Bad Arabs' by Dr. Jack Shaheen. Out of 1000 films that have Arab & Muslim characters (from years 1896 to 2000) 12 were positive depictions, 52 were even handed and the rest of the 900 or so were negative, The project is meant to reveal the systematic racism towards Arabs and Muslims propagated by American cinema.