Does Film Reinforce or Break Cultural Stereotypes?
Of course, it does both. Generally, more the former than the latter. But nothing is more powerful at ending bigotry than film. The production company I co-founded has been working for twenty-five years to break stereotypes and provide a greater understanding about Muslims and Islam. Our television documentaries have told many stories, from an African prince who was enslaved in the American South to a South Asia princess who fought the Nazis, the journey across several centuries charting the Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain to a Muslim couple’s journey on Route 66 finding the unknown story of Muslim contributions to America. We’ve told stories about Syrian Refugees, Islamic Art, Muslim comedians, and the biography of the Prophet Muhammad. This webinar will use a question-and-answer format to address the interests participants may have about filmmaking, storytelling, the way our brains processes film that makes it such a potent force good or harm, Islam, the role Muslims have played in American society, and other queries. Excerpts of some of my films will be show. Come with your thoughts and questions. It promises to be a lively and interesting session.
Biography Alex Kronemer
Alex Kronemer has been working for peace and interfaith understanding for most of his adult life. He was a member of the lobbying group that successfully lobbied Congress for the establishment of the current US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC. Shortly after, he attended Harvard Divinity School where he studied comparative religion on his way to receiving a master’s in theological studies. After graduating from Harvard, he worked for two years at a refugee resettlement agency in Boston, Massachusetts, helping refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Eastern Europe find jobs and homes in the US. He became a prolific writer, publishing articles in numerous newspapers magazines, and appearing as a commentator on Islam and Religion on CNN and other networks. In the late 1990’s, he was the Middle East Desk Officer in the US State Department office of Human Rights and Democracy, helping to staff the newly formed Religious Freedom Office. In 2000, he cofounded Unity Productions Foundation, a media and educational nonprofit dedicated to creating peace and understanding about Muslims and other religions in the world. Unity Production Foundation has gone on to produce 12 national broadcast documentaries and received numerous prestigious film accolades, including an Emmy nomination. In addition, his organization has launched dozens of interfaith and peace-making projects in the US and abroad. Unity Productions Park foundation now consults with movie and television writers, advising them on how to better portray Muslims and Islam on the screen. His current project explores the greatest love stories in the Islamic tradition. In these divisive times his call to us is to commit to making peace happen.
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