NYC Unveils Historic Inaugural Muslim Film Festival Lineup!

The New York Muslim Film Festival (NYMFF) is set to launch on October 11 at Manhattan’s SVA Theatre, poised to revolutionize the portrayal of Muslims in Western media. Billed as the city’s inaugural festival specifically for Muslim filmmakers, its core mission is to empower these artists to narrate their own stories, moving beyond flattened and stereotypical representations often seen in mainstream channels. Hassan Babar, the festival’s artistic director, emphasizes that these narratives should transcend mere counter-narratives, aspiring instead to become the foundational “establishing paradigm” for how Muslim experiences are understood and presented.

Co-founder and director Nawal Mubin underscores the necessity of this platform, asserting that “This festival exists because those stories deserve a stage in this city, not on the margins of someone else’s.” The one-day event promises a rich and varied program, featuring 12 short films originating from seven different countries. The selection spans a wide array of genres, including compelling documentaries, intricate dramas, vibrant comedies, innovative animation, and thought-provoking experimental pieces. Notably, women directors constitute a majority of the program's creative talent, highlighting the festival's commitment to diverse voices.

The day’s schedule is meticulously planned to foster engagement and celebration. It will commence with an exclusive reception for attending filmmakers and esteemed industry guests, providing a valuable networking opportunity. Following the reception, the festival will present two distinct blocks of films, each comprising six shorts and running for approximately an hour. These screenings will build anticipation for the evening’s culmination: the highly anticipated awards ceremony and the announcement of the jury’s selections.

An impressive six-member jury has been assembled to evaluate the submitted works. This distinguished panel includes Emmy winner Aasif Mandvi, widely recognized for his tenure as a correspondent on “The Daily Show” and his role in the Paramount+ series “Evil.” He is joined by Darine Hotait, an accomplished Arab-American writer-director and founder of Cinephilia Productions, whose short films have graced prestigious platforms such as HBO, AMC, SundanceTV, and the BBC. Also on the jury is Munir Atalla, the head of production and acquisitions at Watermelon Pictures and a former creative executive at Netflix, bringing a wealth of industry experience. Producer Abubakar Khan, whose notable credits include "The Glassworker," Pakistan’s official entry for the 2024 Oscars, and the SXSW 2023 audience award winner “Mustache,” further strengthens the panel. Rounding out the jury are Lebanese-American filmmaker Sarah Mokh, a Sundance Feature Film Fellow who recently completed her debut feature film “The Alchemy of Being Okay” (produced by Khan), and Egyptian-American actor Abubakr Ali, who has upcoming roles in Bassam Tariq’s “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” opposite Mahershala Ali, and Sean Durkin’s A24 film “Deep Cuts,” having also appeared in Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite.”

The NYMFF has garnered support from several significant partners. Streamer Watermelon+ is the force behind the Watermelon+ Discovery Award, an accolade that grants the winning filmmaker or rights holder an exclusive license to feature their film on the platform for a limited duration. Other key partners include the Islamic Scholarship Fund, New York-based production and post-production facility Lost in Space, and Aneesa Talks, an initiative founded by filmmaker Aneesa Khan dedicated to supporting South Asian and Muslim creatives. Aneesa Khan also co-heads programming for the festival with Hassan Babar and leads communications, while Nawal Mubin co-founded the festival with filmmaker and post-production specialist Giuseppe de Matteis; both Mubin and de Matteis are associated with Lost in Space.

The film program itself demonstrates an extraordinary range in both tone and subject matter, offering a global perspective on contemporary Muslim experiences. Justin Mashouf’s documentary “$17.74” chronicles the story of a former gang member, incarcerated since the 1980s, whose prison-based gesture of solidarity for Gaza sparked a viral movement. Karim Emara’s Qatar-U.S. dramedy “Baba Is Melting” delves into a son’s confrontation with his father over a clandestine second marriage, a discussion that unfolds as the father awaits Friday prayer in Doha. Zaid Ahmed Hassan’s “Ghusl” explores the profound theme of filial duty, as a son is tasked by his dying father to master Islamic burial rites. Basma Khalifa’s U.K. experimental piece “Henna” intricately traces the life cycle of the henna plant, weaving it alongside the narratives of women from 16 African and SWANA countries. Sima Naseem’s Canada-Pakistan animation “My Friend in the Jingle Truck” charmingly combines stop-motion and 2D techniques to depict the encounter between a Karachi girl and a magical bird. Alex Aljouni’s “Bukra” tells the poignant story of a young Syrian refugee who, having won a soccer ball in a sweepstakes, races against time to retrieve it for a final match with her best friend before he departs permanently. In Negine Jasmine Sekandari and Ayda Rojhantalab’s comedy “Haram Salami,” a daring decision reopens old divisions among three generations of Afghan women, compelling them to reconcile their identities with cultural demands and personal desires. Maram Taibah’s Saudi fantasy “Malika” beautifully explores the deep bond between a girl and her grandmother, and the tension between innate wildness and societal expectations for girls, all set within a magical-realist world born from a child’s imagination. Bilal Shams Khan’s Pakistani drama “Sabr O Shukar” follows 10-year-old Akram on his journey to understand patience and gratitude while pursuing his dream of owning a bicycle. Imran J. Khan’s “The Boy With Dinosaur Head” presents a unique encounter between a troubled boy convinced he is a dinosaur and a teacher determined to bring him back to reality, leaving a lasting impact on both. Ilhan Abdullahi and Sherry Rashidan’s Canadian comedy “Unqualified” centers on Warsan, the sole Muslim in her workplace, who is unexpectedly assigned to spiritually cleanse a purportedly haunted lunchroom, using her faith and a series of comical misunderstandings to banish spirits before risking her job. Lastly, Lyna Tadount and Sofian Chouaib’s French drama “Ya Hanouni” captures the tender competition between two parents vying to be their baby’s first word, a lighthearted contest dramatically interrupted by a life-altering event.