Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to see you here. I'm so proud to see you and thank you for the introduction Mr.. And thank you very much for inviting me and thank you for the the organizing committee the students the doctor student master students uh thank you dear colleagues and friends and students for coming today. So here the title of my presentation. So the story began like um I begin my by saying this.So a few a few years ago a good student of mine um asked me whether it was true that I was a fem ...

Representation in Film - The speaker discusses the impact of orientalist ideologies on the portrayal of Middle Eastern and Muslim identities in film, leading to stereotypes and "othering" [1] - USC Annenberg study reveals that Muslims, representing approximately 25% of the global population, only account for 16% of characters in top 200 films, with nearly 40% of these characters perpetuating violence and less than 25% being Muslim women in submissive roles [1] - The speaker highlights that over 50% of primary/secondary Muslim characters are immigrants, almost 90% speak English with an accent or not at all, and over 75% wear faith-related clothing, primarily portrayed in Middle East/North Africa settings, with less than 1% in the United States [1] - According to the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding, 9% of terrorism is labeled as Islamic terrorism, receiving 770% more media coverage than non-Muslim perpetrators, despite the majority of American domestic terrorist fatalities being attributed to white supremacists [1] - FBI data indicates a 357% increase in racially motivated domestic terrorism cases from 2013 to 2021, with the number more than doubling between 2020 and 2021 [1] Diverse Audiences and Film Success - UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report indicates that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and female moviegoers significantly supported the theatrical industry in 2023 and 2024 [7][8] - Films like Super Mario Brothers and Transformers had over 60% diverse audiences, while Guardians of the Galaxy exceeded 51% [7] - In 2024, Despicable Me 4 and Inside Out 2 had over 70% BIPOC audiences, and Deadpool and Wolverine had over 65% [8] - Nine out of the top 10 films featured approximately 30% BIPOC cast, and five of the top 10 films had over 40% female cast [8] "Americanish" Film Case Study - "Americanish," a Muslim romantic comedy, won 26 awards, was featured in 50 film festivals worldwide, and was distributed by Sony International, demonstrating the potential for success of diverse stories [9] - The film faced challenges in securing support initially, with many rejections from wealthy businessmen, but found success when pitched to Muslim women investors, with the majority of investors being Muslim women and 100% from the US and UK Muslim community [2][3] Initiatives and Future Directions - Organizations like the Islamic Scholarship Fund, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Hollywood Bureau, Pillars Fund, and the Door Duke Building Bridges Program are working to support Muslim storytellers [10] - The Gina Davis Institute, Muslim Casting, and the Pillars Fund collaborated to create the "Surviving to Thriving" onscreen representation test to evaluate portrayals of Muslim women [11] - The speaker emphasizes the need for authentic representation, honest voices behind the camera, and questioning surface-level portrayals to create meaningful change [5][16]