Fighting for the advancement and visibility of Middle Eastern, North African and South West Asian writers, creatives, and performers on-screen in film, television, and streaming platforms.
DISRUPT & ADVANCE
Fighting for the advancement and visibility of Middle Eastern, North African and South West Asian, MENA-SWANA writers, creatives, and performers.
78%
of MENA characters on television are portrayed as trained terrorists/agents/soldiers or tyrants, exacerbating the stereotype of MENA persons as threats.
per “Terrorist & Tyrants” Study presented by MAAC.
0 0 0
ZERO MENA Leads in Film
ZERO MENA Female Film Writers
ZERO MENA Female Film Directors
92
out of the top 100 films in 2019 had no Middle Eastern North African (MENA) females in them. Complete erasure of women-of-color on screen can be seen across all racial/ethnic groups measured, whilst white females were only erased from 7 movies.
The Epidemic of Invisibility in Film, per USC Annenberg’s Impact Report
MENA-SWANA ACCELERATION LAB
A first of its kind lab to provide aspiring to mid-level MENA-SWANA creatives with the opportunity to gain industry insights, artistic tools, foster community support, and more; featuring expert led panels and hands-on workshops.
Our Impact
Our Impact is far and wide. Little did we know that in 2017, when we successfully lobbied MENA to the SAG-AFTRA - AMPTP contracts, the term would become the industry standard in finally defining our communities as diverse and helping us demand inclusion. With the success of adding the MENA hiring category, it led to being able to show, in complex data, the way we’ve been portrayed on screen. Presenting the 1st study of MENA representation on Television was a call to action for all executives, showrunners, writers, and studios to do better. Our data has been used globally in conversations around the harsh reality of on-screen portrayals of MENA performers. Our lobbying efforts have pushed significant universities and researchers to begin measuring MENA representation on screen, launching various MENA and MENASA clubs across the US, and inspiring MENA Arts advocacy groups in the UK and Canada. Helped launch the WGA’s writer’s committee and created MENA recognition in the Academy’s hiring standards and practices for the OSCARS!
*Please note: This graphic was created in 2019 and advised on by several academics who advised on the MENA category for the US Census. MAAC is not responsible for defining the region, or what is included in US data reporting. Since 2022, MAAC has aligned more closely to the term SWANA.
Our Story
In 2014, at a major television network pilot table read, our founder, Azita Ghanizada, was informed she was considered white. A conflict for the show she was just cast in, as they needed to report their diversity hires and she was one of the few. Azita informed them she was from South/Central Asia, and could luckily be counted as Asian. But her Middle Eastern appearance did not look Asian at first glance, and Azita knew that there was a major blindspot in the hiring and inclusion of people from her part of the world. She immediately went home to research who could assist her with this, and quickly learned there were no organizations in Hollywood that specifically protected, serviced and advanced the interests of Middle Eastern North African (MENA) performers, and so MAAC was born.
MENA Arts Advocacy in the News
A GLOBAL DATABASE FOR MIDDLE EASTERN, NORTH AFRICAN AND SOUTH ASIANS IN ENTERTAINMENT
The MAAC database is your place to discover both established and emerging MENA and South Asian Talent, and to be discovered and seen for more opportunities in Film, TV, Streaming Platforms, and Digital Projects.