Dr. Maytha Alhassen
Appearances
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Is Hollywood soft censoring Palestinian art?
B, the whole Star is Born movie because it's kind of in its own way a music video. Just a really long one. Or C, Alejandro from 2011. B. I'm going to go B. I'll also go B. Unfortunately, you're both wrong. The answer is C, Alejandro. Oh, for three. Wow. For those who don't know, Alejandro was choreographed by Miss Boom Cat Cat herself.
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The one, the only, the fabulous choreographer, Lorianne Gibson. And I just have to shout out Lorianne's work. So Alejandro is the answer for me.
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All right. Well, that is it for But Did You Know? For this week, congratulations to Parker on your win and congratulations to Lady Gaga on her new album and all her little monsters on having the funnest time listening all weekend long. And Parker, Maytha, thank you both so much for joining me today. Thanks. That was NPR's B.A. Parker.
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Is Hollywood soft censoring Palestinian art?
She's the co-host of NPR's Code Switch and Dr. Maitha L. Hassan. She's a professor and also a writer and producer for Hulu's hit series, Rami. This episode of It's Been a Minute was produced by Corey Bridges. Barton Girdwood. This episode was edited by Nina Potok. Our executive producer is Veralyn Williams. Our VP of programming is Yolanda Sanguini. All right.
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Is Hollywood soft censoring Palestinian art?
That's all for this episode of It's Been a Minute from NPR. I'm Brittany Luce. Talk soon.
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Is Hollywood soft censoring Palestinian art?
Really quick, No Other Land is a documentary about Palestinian activist Basil Adra and his community of Masafaryada in the West Bank. Thank you to the Academy for the award. And in the film, Masafaryada is being demolished by Israeli forces to make way for a military training ground, driving many Palestinians out of their homes and villages.
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So Basel decides to document the expulsion on the ground, hoping to share it with the world and bring an end to the violence that his community is facing every day. And also I'll say there's a really good chance that you, yes, you listening, have not seen this movie.
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That's because barely any American theaters are screening it, which is a little wild because ever since it debuted at the Berlin Film Festival last year in 2024, it's been getting universal acclaim. I'm looking at Rotten Tomatoes right now and it has a 100% rating. So what is it about a universally acclaimed movie that US film distributors don't want to touch? Is this a kind of soft censorship?
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Is Hollywood soft censoring Palestinian art?
Is there a history to this sort of thing happening in Hollywood before? And if documentary film is supposed to speak truth to power, what happens when power doesn't want to hear it? So, Parker and Maytha, let's start with the facts. The fact being that this film has not received wide distribution rights in America. Why do you think that is?
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Is there something controversial about the subject of the film or is something else going on here?
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Is Hollywood soft censoring Palestinian art?
Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce, and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident. Okay, everybody, this week, you and I are connecting the dots between Rotten Tomatoes, Kiefer Sutherland, and the Middle East. I know, I know. How are all of these things connected?
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One of the notes that I wrote down when I was watching the film is that very frequently when homes are being bulldozed, when people are being rounded up, children are watching this. And that is not always the perspective that people are seeing perhaps when they turn on a news broadcast.
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Seeing someone's lived experience through their eyes, from their perspective, is something that not really all news really can do. That's kind of the opposite of what news is. Documentary is very different. I could see how there might be some people who might take issue with that.
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You know, Parker, I guess there are a couple reasons why this film might not be getting wider distribution or picked up by a streaming service, for example. One could be an economic reason. I read a quote from one distribution executive saying it's, quote, solely an economic decision and that streamers don't want documentary content. Who is this? Who is this exact? Unnamed, unnamed, unnamed.
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Is Hollywood soft censoring Palestinian art?
What I'm trying to understand here is, though, is, is it the money that distributors are worried about or is it the subject of the film itself? Are they worried it's too unsellable or too political or what?
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Yes, that's right. Back in October 2024. And Netflix says that that was because their three-year licensing agreement for these films expired. But you're absolutely right. That could definitely raise some eyebrows.
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Okay, so we've been talking about why people wouldn't want to distribute the film, but I want to talk just a little bit about why they would. And there's a long history of films that No Other Land is actually like. It's a co-production between two Palestinian and two Israeli filmmakers.
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And that's one way, in the past, Palestinian storytellers have been able to get their work out in the world to have Israelis be a part of the project. And one moment that really highlights why
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this has perhaps been the case for so long is that when No Other Land screened in Berlin at the Berlin Film Festival last year, 2024, the German Minister of State for Culture was seen clapping for the film during a standing ovation for And there was backlash to her clapping. And then her response to that was to put out a statement saying that she was only applauding the Israeli filmmaker.
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That's not how that works. That is famously not how applause works. She said that she was only applauding the Israelis, not the Palestinians, even though they all made the film together.
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And this apparent need for Israel's co-sign on Palestinian projects was really on full display at the Oscars last week when one of the Israeli co-directors, Yuval Abraham, gave his acceptance speech immediately after the Palestinian director.
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Is Hollywood soft censoring Palestinian art?
Well, we're going to find out with the co-host of NPR's Code Switch, B.A. Parker, and Dr. Mehta Alhassan, a professor who's also written and produced for Hulu's hit series, Rami. Parker, Mehta, welcome to It's Been a Minute. Hello. Hey. All right. Okay, so here's a question for y'all. Which one of you thinks that you have what it takes to make an Oscar-winning film?
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I want to step back and think about the evolving representation of Palestinians and or Arabs on screen in the United States. Following 9-11, one of the biggest TV shows of the time, 24, with Kiefer Sutherland, was about fighting Middle Eastern terrorists. And, you know, fast forward, 2025, No Other Land, it's won Best Documentary at the Academy Awards.
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You know, I wonder how has the content about Arabs, Palestinians, and or Muslims evolved in the past couple of decades? What shows or TV shows are people actually gravitating toward right now?
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It's not that long ago. It's within like my adult memory.
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Well, Parker, Maitha, I have learned so much here. Thank you both so much. Thank you. Thank you. And as a thank you, I'd like to teach you something by playing a game with you all. Can you stick around for a tiny bit longer? Sure. Sure. All right. We'll be right back with a little game I like to call, But Did You Know? Stick around. All right. All right.
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We are going to play a little game I like to call, But Did You Know? Here's how it works. I'm going to share a story that's been making headlines this week. And as I give you some background on the story, I'll also ask you trivia related to it. But don't worry. It's all multiple choice. And the first one to blurt out the right answer gets a point. Person with most points wins.
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I love that. I have a master's in screenwriting. Listen, I have an undergraduate degree in film. Do you see me?
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So first up, which of these Lady Gaga deep cuts is her best song, according to me? Is it... A, Free Woman from Chromatica, B, So Happy I Could Die from the Fame Monster, or C, Heavy Metal Lover from Born This Way? C? B, I've heard of none of these songs. All right. Well, Parker, I'm going to tell you what, girl. The answer is B, So Happy I Could Die. You got it. I love that song.
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And fun fact, while the song did not chart in the United States as a single, except maybe on my iPod, it did chart in Hungary, Sweden, and the UK. So maybe I should move someplace else where they have better taste in music. Okay, next question. Sure. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, they really gagged all of us with their extremely memeable press tour last year for the first Wicked movie.
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But honestly, it was Lady Gaga who paved the way for them. Which of these very real quotes from Lady Gaga interviews is my favorite?
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And you just need one. B. The time in 2015 when she described director Ryan Murphy as talented, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular.
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Wait, that was about Ryan Murphy? Or is it C? The time where Lady Gaga was asked if she could be anyone for a day and who would it be? And she responded, I'd like to be the moon.
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Parker, you were actually correct. The answer is A. 100 people.
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Well, that kind of independent filmmaker empowerment was on full display at last weekend's Academy Awards. Many of the top prizes went to indie films, from the Best Picture winner, Onora, to the first ever independent film to win Best Animated Feature, Flow. And finally, the subject of today's show, the winner for Best Documentary Feature.
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I love that one. I say that sometimes to myself when I have like more than two meetings in the same hour.
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Without further ado, the final question. We all know that Miss Stephanie Joanne Angelina Germanotta, a.k.a. Lady Gaga. Long, long name. Truly revived and redefined the medium of the music video. But according to me, which one of these videos is her absolute best? Is it... A, her latest video for Abracadabra from 2025.