Original 2012 version designated a New York Times Critics' Pick
Narrated by Mike Farrell, the documentary film Valentino’s Ghost exposes the way America’s foreign policy agenda in the Middle East influences Hollywood and mainstream corporate media portrayals of Arabs and Muslims. Premiering at the Venice Film Festival, Italy, to a standing ovation, Valentino’s Ghost tracks the transition from the Arab as Romantic Hero to the Arab today as the embodiment of evil.
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?
The 100-minute film features fresh, riveting and often stunning perspectives from the legendary late American writer Gore Vidal; John Mearsheimer, author of “The Israel Lobby”,celebrated British war correspondent Robert Fisk, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Anthony Shadid, Harvard and Oxford historian Niall Ferguson, historian Melani McAlister, TV star Tony Shalhoub, media expert Jack Shaheen, and Hollywood writer Alan Sharp,
They take viewers into wild, uncharted waters, analyzing Hollywood as a hotbed of ethnic bigotry and an obedient servant of Washington; the Charlie Hebdo cartoons as hate speech; Israel’s deadly invasion of Gaza in 2014 as a war crime; ISIS as less brutal than The American Armed Forces; and American Sniper as foremost a vehicle of ethnic hatred towards Arabs and Muslims.
Biting social commentary by comics Maz Jobrani, Aron Kader and Ahmed Ahmed ensure that the documentary maintains a constant flow of astonishing and eye-opening revelations.
Featuring
Illuminating Insights from:
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John J. Mearsheimer, Ph.D., R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at The University of Chicago
“Our relationship with Israel is one of the main reasons we have a terrorist problem in the United States.”
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Robert Fisk, Ph.D., Foreign Correspondent, The Independent, UK
“‘… ‘occupied territories’ becomes the ‘disputed territories’, ‘settlements’ become ‘neighborhoods’ … And so, we make the Middle East unintelligible for people who don’t live there or visit there.”
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Melani McAlister, Ph.D., Associate Professor of American Studies and International Affairs, George Washington University
“In every case, it was said that ‘those who oppose Israel are acting against the forces of goodness in the world; they are evil.'”
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Gore Vidal, Author and historian
“The idea that darkness of skin is supposed to represent darkness of soul, and character, has been an Anglo Saxon hang-up for a long time.”
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Anthony Shadid, Pulitzer Prize winning foreign correspondent for the New York Times
“Why isn’t there a more fundamental debate about the Israeli/Palestinian confict. I don’t know. I ask myself the same question and … I don’t know.”
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Tony Shalhoub, Actor/TV Star
“I played a sort of, well dressed, dapper terrorist. It was a lot of running around, shooting off Uzis and screaming at people. Having done it once was plenty, more than enough.”
CONTACT US
Let us know your thoughts, suggestions and questions regarding “Valentino’s Ghost.” We’ll respond as swiftly as we can.
Please direct questions, comments, and press inquiries to:
Michael Singh
Director/Producer, Valentino’s Ghost
Catherine Jordan
Producer, Valentino’s Ghost
Narrated by MIKE FARRELL Featuring MELANI MCALISTER, Ph.D, NIALL FERGUSON, Ph.D., RABBI DOVID YISROEL, JOHN MEARSHEIMER, Ph.D., ALAN SHARP, DIANA ABU-JABAR, ROBERT FISK, Ph.D., JACK G. SHAHEEN, Ph.D., ANTHONY SHADID, GORE VIDAL, ALBERT MOKHIBER, Esq., STEPHEN ROHDE, Esq., and TONY SHALHOUB Stand-up comedy by MAZ JOBRANI, ARON KADER, AHMED AHMED Edited by BRAD FULLER, MICHAEL SINGH, CATHERINE JORDAN Music by Emmy Award Winner LISA COLEMAN Produced by MICHAEL SINGH and CATHERINE JORDAN, Written and Directed by MICHAEL SINGH
