Special Event

MOST (Muslims on Screen & Television) Launch Event

Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Los Angeles

The Paley Center for Media hosted the official launch of MOST (Muslims on Screen & Television): A Cross Cultural Resource Center. The launch event was held at the Paley Center’s Beverly Hills location and featured an invitation-only crowd of entertainment executives and creative professionals. After the opening reception, guests attended a panel discussion featuring Walter Parkes, producer of the hit films Kite Runner, Gladiator, and Amistad; Nashwa Alruwaini, CEO of  Pyramedia and Executive Director of the Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi, and Saad Mohseni, CEO of  Moby Media and producer of "Afghan Star"—an American-Idol style television show in Afghanistan. Moderated by Dr. Cynthia Schneider, co-Director of MOST  and head of the Arts and Culture Dialogue Initiative within the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, The panelists explored the challenges in portraying authentic images of Muslims – whether American or foreign—as well as the growing links between Hollywood and the Middle East.
 
As Muslim themes and characters appear more often in television and film, writers and producers face a complex challenge: presenting multidimensional characters and stories that transcend stereotypes. MOST aims to provide the Hollywood creative community with resources and accurate information on Muslims and regions with majority Muslim populations, and also to engage thought leaders and the entertainment community in an ongoing dialogue about the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world. Cultivated by the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, MOST was developed in partnership with Unity Productions Foundation, producers of the PBS-broadcast Mohammad: Legacy of the Prophet and the recent theatrical release Allah Made Me Funny; the philanthropic collaborative One Nation: Liberty and Justice for All, and the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, a world leader in opinion polling and publishers of Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think.