An unprecedented collection of short films created, directed, and starring American Muslims is called Ramadan America
The first-ever short film anthology created, directed, and starring American Muslims, Ramadan America, will make its debut at SXSW 2024 at The Muslim House. This is a proud announcement from Rifelion video, an award-winning podcasting and video firm. Additionally, the premiere falls on March 11, the first day of the Muslim holiday Ramadan.
Established in 2021 by the MPAC Hollywood Bureau, the Muslim House serves as a specialized venue that elevates the voices of American Muslims at esteemed events including Tribeca, SXSW, and the Sundance Film Festival. Through collaboration with the Doris Duke Foundation, it provides a forum for important conversations that are important to American Muslim communities.
The movie is a ground-breaking creation that is unique among its sort. It has American Muslims in it, and it is written and directed. The five films in the series cover a range of genres, subjects, and cultural quirks with the goal of showcasing the varied interpretations that Muslims have of Eid and Ramadan. These movies honor tales of love, kinship, and custom collectively.
Five narrative short films with Ramadan and Eid holiday tales, penned by American Muslim authors, make up Ramadan America. The scripts were first obtained by Rifelion as a result of a writing contest it held in association with the Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF). Out of more than fifty entries from American Muslim writers, five screenplays were chosen.
The founder of Rifelion, Asad Butt, stated, “Rifelion could not be more proud and excited for the premiere of Ramadan America this week at The Muslim House at SXSW.” “This debut is proof of the immense effort that each of the five production teams put in to bring this anthology to life. We are pleased to showcase the incredible American Muslim talent through these short films and share them with the world. Cheers to Ramadan!
Along with his son Aariq Manji, Rizwan Manji is a member of the Ramadan America cast for Nani’s Biryani. “As a Muslim, being able to participate in this kind of intimate and special cultural storytelling where every piece of the project was being touched by Muslims was truly a gift,” Manji said. Audiences are familiar with Rizwan from his roles in Transformers, The Magicians, and Schitt’s Creek, among other shows. “I will always cherish the memories I have of working with my son in the early stages of his career on a script written by my friend Faroukh Virani and discussing the potential and significance of this kind of project.”
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