"You can’t be a filmmaker. You’re Palestinian - no one will care." Cherien Dabis is a Palestinian-American filmmaker and actress constantly working to break new ground for Palestinian representation in Hollywood. In 2022, she made TV history as the first Palestinian ever nominated for an Emmy, for her work on “Only Murders in the Building”. Throughout her career, Cherien has pushed back against one-dimensional portrayals of Arabs and Palestinians - often stereotyped, cast as villains, or erased entirely. Most recently, you may have seen her as Nadia in Netflix’s “Mo”, the hit series widely celebrated for its portrayal of the Palestinian experience. In this episode of Real Talk, Cherien opens up about growing up Palestinian in Ohio, the challenges of telling her own story, and the fears that keep many from supporting Palestinian voices in Hollywood. Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:34 How Cherien became a filmmaker 03:29 Facing anti-Arab racism growing up 09:50 Strip-searched by Israeli soldiers 17:40 Media portrayals of Arabs & Palestinians 21:30 ‘I’m up against fear’ 29:39 Cherien’s filmmaking career 38:45 Feature film: All That's Left of You 48:07 Co-starring in Netflix’s ‘Mo’ 56:10 ‘Our political systems are beyond broken’ 01:04:50 ‘I'm sorry this country failed you spectacularly’ Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0f... Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@middleeasteye Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/MiddleEastEye Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/MiddleEastEye Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye
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Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview series hosted by Mohamed Hashem that explores the unique stories and experiences of a diverse range of guests —from artists, to musicians, to politicians and more. In 2024, we also introduced Real Talk Online, adding engaging current affairs discussions with insightful guests. Guests have included: - Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf - US Presidential candidate Cornel West - Activist & Fashion Designer Alana Hadid - London Mayor Sadiq Khan - British-Egyptian actor Khalid Abdalla - UK's Palestinian Ambassador Husam Zomlot - Moroccan rapper Dizzy Dros
Expert Witness is a show on the intersection of international law, human rights and public policy in the Middle East and North Africa. Hosted by Sondos Asem, Middle East Eye news editor and journalist.
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