Rethinking the bad guy

As he watched news coverage of the Arab Spring, Palestinian filmmaker George Khleifi wondered what the footage might mean to the West. "If 50 years ago, this revolution in Egypt would've taken place, I think maybe not even 10 percent Americans would see it, " Khleifi said. "Now with satellite and the internet, there's a revolution, and it's clear Arabs are not who they thought they were."

Khleifi hopes Hollywood will take cues from Tahrir Square to improve its portrayal of Arabs on film. According to Emory University professor Jack Shaheen, the West has long portrayed Arabs as petty, dishonest and lecherous in films. Shaheen's book Reel Bad Arabs takes a sweeping look at 900 films featuring Arabs made between 1896 and 2001; he finds them obsessed with the 'three Bs' of Arab archetypes: bellydancers, billionaire sheikhs and bombers. Shaheen claims these movies shape how Americans see the Middle East. But Arab directors and critics are divided on Shaheen's thesis.