Prison Blues and Preacher Moss Tonight at the Oriental

Join us tonight, 7PM at the Oriental Theatre, for the final film, Prison Blues, in our 2016 lineup complete with a special live stand-up comedy performance by Preacher Moss. Tickets are $10 at the door with refreshments and commemorative Film Festival T-shirts available for purchase on location.

Prison Blues and Preacher Moss to Close Film Festival at the Oriental April 21st

Join us April 21st at the beautiful Oriental Theatre 7PM for a short film, Prison Blues, a brief talk back session with one of the inmates from the film, and a special live stand-up comedy performance by Preacher Moss of Allah Made Me Funny. Tickets are $10 and refreshments and commemorative Film Festival T-shirts will be available for purchase.

About Prison Blues
It is estimated that 80% of inmates who “find faith” in prison, convert to Islam. Prison Blues, a Ta’leef Collective documentary film, directed and produced by Mustafa Davis tells the riveting and unheard story of the harsher realties inside the prison industrial complex in the United States through the lens of a Muslim spiritual narrative. Prison Blues explores the reality of incarceration in the United States and conversion to Islam through the Prison Industrial Complex.

About Preacher Moss
Bryant Reginald Moss, best known by his stage name Preacher Moss, is an American stand-up comedian and writer. He is best known as one third of comedy trio Allah Made Me Funny.

This one-two punch of amazing material is our final show of the season, so for those of you who have been thinking of joining us, now is the time to show your support or risk having to wait until next year.

"Al Helm" Today at the Art Museum

Hello all you film fest goers. The final showing of "Al Helm" is a matinee at Milwaukee's Art Museum #MMFilmFest2016. If you didn't get your chance to go earlier, now is the perfect opportunity to go see it. It is 2pm in the Lubar Auditorium. After the screening stay for the talk back session moderated by the Jewish Voice for Peace. Tickets are $8 at the door. We hope to see you there.

The Idol at the Oriental Theatre Tonight!

Join us tonight for "The Idol" at 7PM at the Oriental Theatre. This will be the only screening of this film. Tickets are $10 at the door. Refreshments and commemorative Film Festival t-shirts will be available for sale.

Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival To Show "The Idol" April 14th

The Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival's #MMFilmFest2016 next film will be The Idol. It is set to air 7PM Thursday, April 14th at the Oriental Theatre. Tickets are $10 at the door. This is our fourth film in the lineup and should prove to be a wonderful addition to our series.

Based on the incredible true story, The Idol tells the story of the talented Mohammad Assaf (played in the film by Tawfeek Barhom) as he travels from the Gaza Strip to Egypt to audition for the television show Arab Idol. Simply put, it his journey out of childhood and into the spotlight.

Al-Helm To Air Tonight at UWM

Join us tonight for Al-Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine 7PM at the UW-Milwaukee Union Cinema #MMFilmFest2016. Admission is free to all UW-Milwaukee students. General admission is $8. Commemorative T-shirts are available for purchase at the door. Remember to stay for the discussion afterwards by representatives from Friends of Palestine.

"Al-Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine" To Air Thursday at UWM Cinema

The next film in our festival series #MMFilmFest2016 is Al-Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine. It is set to screen this Thursday (April 7th) at the UW-Milwaukee Union Cinema at 7PM. There will be a talkback session afterwards by speakers from the Friends of Palestine. UWM students get in for free to this event. General admission is $8.

"An African American gospel choir is the Greek chorus for a Palestinian play on Martin Luther King, Jr. which tours the West Bank, preaching nonviolence. The devoutly Christian choir grew up in churches strongly allied with Israel. On their first trip to the Holy Land they witness the harsh realities of life under occupation, a nonviolent movement for justice, and an assassination. Our story is a unique view of a crucial human rights conflict. Mixing the excitement of foot-stomping gospel music and creative theater it reveals the power of art to communicate, heal, and give voice to communities living in fear. It is a cultural exchange of immense depth and far-reaching implications, where, during the course of the journey, people's preconceptions are radically changed."

This is the first of two screenings for Al-Helm. The second will be held 2PM Sunday, April 17th at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) with a talkback session by the Jewish Voice for Peace. Tickets will be $8.

Guantanamo's Child Airs Tonight at the Art Museum

Quick reminder to you film buffs out there, Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival's #MMFilmFest2016 Guantanamo's Child airs this afternoon at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) at 2pm. this is it's second and final screening of the festival, so if you missed the first screening, be sure to come this afternoon. Tickets are $8 at the door. We look forward to seeing you there.

Second Showing of Guantanamo's Child Scheduled for April 3rd at the Milwaukee Art Museum

For those of you who have been following this blog and/or going to the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival #MMFilmFest2016, you may recall Guantanamo's Child opened this year's festival about a month ago. If you didn't make it to the last showing, don't worry. You are about to get a second chance. Sunday, April 3rd at the Milwaukee Art Museum (a.k.a. MAM) a special matinee screening of the film will take place at 2pm complete with talk back session from the good people at the ACLU of Wisconsin. Tickets are $8 at the door. We look forward to seeing you there!

Journey Into Europe Tonight at the UWM Union Cinema

Just a reminder to all of you film buffs out there, the continuation of the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival #MMFilmFest #FilmFest resumes tonight at 7PM at the UWM Union Cinema on Kenwood Blvd with the Akhbar Ahmed film, Journey into Europe. Remember, tickets are $8 at the door and UWM students get in free. We hope to see you there!

Journey Into Europe to Show March 24th

We have reached that point in the event where the Milwaukee Muslim Film Fest #MMFilmFest2016 is about to go into full swing. First up is Journey into Europe. The film will only show Thursday, March 24th at 7pm in the UW-Milwaukee Union Cinema. Stay afterwards for a talkback session by the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. General admission is $8. UWM students get in free.

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, a world-renowned anthropologist, Islamic scholar, and filmmaker, explores Islam in Europe and the place of Islam in European history and civilization in this unprecedented study. In the film shot across the continent in countries such as Germany,the U.K., France, Spain, and Bosnia, we hear from some of Europe’s most prominent figures, including presidents and prime ministers, archbishops, chief rabbis, grand muftis, heads of right-wing parties, and every-day Europeans from a variety of backgrounds.

The film has received praise from some of Europe’s most prominent leaders. Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, states, “It is hard to exaggerate the importance of this work.” Dr. Haris Silajdzic, the former President and Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, writes, “Ambassador Akbar Ahmed’s latest project on Muslims in Europe is yet another illustration of his vision by offering us understanding of, commitment to, and hope and compassion for humanity.” And Paul Smith, the USA Director of the British Council here in Washington, writes, “Your film is a compelling, gracious, thoughtful study and we’re proud to be involved in it.”

We'll see you there.

Guantanamo's Child To Be Opener in 2016 Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival

This year, the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival #MMFilmFest2016 will be opening with the documentary film, Guantanamo's Child: Omar Khadr.

Taking place after Omar Khadr was released on bail and told both in his own words and through research done in the name of Michelle Shephard's authoritative book, Guantanamo's Child: The Untold Story of Omar Khadr, the film Guantanamo's Child profiles how one suburban Toronto teenager became the first juvenile ever tried for war crimes and part of one of the first trials since the prosecution of Nazi war criminals in the 1940s.

The documentary will preview this Thursday 7pm at the UWM Theater. If you can't make it, don't worry. Guantanamo's Child will screen again on Sunday, April 3rd at 2pm at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Milwaukee Muslim Film Fest Starts Its Second Year

The Second Annual Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival #MMFilmFest #FilmFest is almost here. Just a few more days! We have collected five all new movies with amazing personalities and powerful storylines. As these films draw nearer, I'll be letting you know a little more about them, so stay tuned!

Final 2015 Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival Event Thursday

Yes, the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival 2015 #FilmFest #MMFilmFest is finally coming to a close this Thursday. The final showing of the final film, "The Wanted 18," airs at 7 PM at the UWM Union Theatre. As usual, UWM students get in for free. For everyone else, tickets are $6 at the door. This is a fun film and I'm so excited we were able to air it. I know I'll be there and I hope to see many of your smiling faces as well. Let's give this festival the send-off it so richly deserves.

I can't wait to see you there.

The Wanted 18 Opens Tomorrow

Tomorrow marks the first showing of "The Wanted 18." Tickets are $6 at the door and screening starts at 7pm at the Oriental Theatre. This final film in our festival series #MMFilmFest is so new that trailers were officially released only one month before the festival began!

Told through claymation, "The Wanted 18" tells the story of a group of "pacifist intellectuals and professionals" from the Palestinian West Bank that wanted local alternatives to Israeli goods, purchased 18 cows and transported them to the West Bank, and through trial and error create a dairy co-op. This act of defiance doesn't go unnoticed. After raiding the dairy, Israeli officials photograph the cattle and declare the cattle "a threat to the State of Israel."

If you can't make it to tomorrow, have no fear. The film will be showing again 7PM Thursday, April 23 at the UWM Union Theatre. UWM students receive free entrance to the Union Theatre.

Again, this is the final film in our film series. Let's make this showing the best one yet!

"The Wanted 18" Opens April 15

The final film in our first annual film festival #MMFilmFest , "The Wanted 18," is set to air April 15th at the Oriental Theatre and April 23rd at the UWM Union Theatre. "The Wanted 18" is a claymation account of a Palestinian co-op and the eighteen cattle they purchase that are then classified as enemies of the State by the Israeli government. For more information, visit the festival website at mmfilmfest.com.

Come see this adorable, thought-provoking film as we wrap up our first city-wide film festival. As usual, tickets are $6 at the door and UWM students get in free to the Union Theatre. We hope to see you all there!

"Giraffada" Opens Tomorrow

The fourth movie in the Festival lineup #MMFilmFest is "Giraffada," about one veterinarian's search for a replacement giraffe for the only remaining zoo on the Palestinian West Bank and the bond between boy and giraffe. For more information on the film, see the festival's website at mmfilmfest.com.

"Giraffada" is the only non-documentary in the series. It is set to air Thursday, April 2 at 7PM at the UWM Union Theatre and Wednesday, April 8 at the Oriental Theatre. As with previous films in the series, there will be a post-screening talkback session after each airing. Tickets are $6 at the door. UWM students get in free to the Union Theatre.

"Abd El Kader" to Air Thursday March 26th

For those of you waiting on the next film in the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival #MMFilmFest , the next in the lineup is "Abd el Kader. It is set to air Thursday, March 26th at the Oriental Theatre. This will be the only showing of the film so be there or be square.

A reminder: Tickets are $6 each and first-come-first-served. There will be a post-film talk-back, so bring your questions and comments.

"Abd El Kader" is an animated documentary on the life of Emir Abd el Kader, an Algerian Islamic scholar and Sufi who found himself unexpectedly a military leader leading the struggle against the French colonial invasion in the mid-19th century.

For more information, please visit the film festival's site, mmfilmfest.com.

Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival Continues On Toward Success.

From what I have heard, both showings of "Yemeniettes" by the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival #MMFilmFest were a roaring success. I went to the Wednesday showing and was suitably impressed by both documentary and director. Some of my favorite parts of the film were all of the excellent one-liners the mother of one of the girls would give throughout the film. For those of you that couldn't make it, Wednesday's showing was followed by a talk-back session with the Director/Executive Producer, Leon Shahabian. It was a true treat.

Leon Shahabian proved himself to be a well-spoken, well-informed individual and very approachable. At one point, he even tried to cut the listing of his impressive credits short to get to the questions. During the talk-back, we learned fascinating facts about the area, his filming interests, how they discovered and decided to film the girls, post-filming updates on the families, behind-the-scenes details (including how the girls got their funding) and all sorts of information we wouldn't have otherwise.

The girls were, surprisingly enough, all from upper middle class families with fathers in prestigious governmental positions. I say surprising because of two things. First of all, the area in which they lived appeared, perhaps because of my decidedly American viewpoint, a less than expected level of development. They went to public school, and seemed very much on level with most of the other individuals seen in the documentary. Secondly, he had made sure they were in their everyday clothing to better connect with and inspire fellow Yemeni for, as Leon Shahabian stated during the talk-back, "this film was for them" (the Yemeni people).

We also got a chance to speak with a Yemeni during the talk-back, as a member of the audience was discovered to be an exchange student from the region. Hamza seemed an intelligent, driven individual with a desire to go on to college and make something of himself. He was able to answer questions about various cultural aspects and some insight into his perspective on the situation and his plans for the future. It was a nice parallel with the film that couldn't have gone much better if we had tried.

Here's an update on the "Yemeniettes" girls since the film debuted:

Last Mr. Shahabian heard as of 2012, the girls were still running their company, Creative Generation, with half working the company and the other half away at college to get their degrees and planning on returning to continue their work there and hopeful to expand, both to other countries and into other solar products.

With all of the unrest in Yemen, it is unfortunate to say, not much is known of the girls' current goings on. They are just some of the many people stuck between the Houthis, ISIS and other warring factions in the conflict in their country. It is unfortunate, but war is and has never been "surgical," and forced regime changes rarely clean. However, people remain hopeful. Perhaps one day everything will clear up and the girls can really make a difference. They already have proven an inspiration.

"Yemeniettes" Opening

Tonight is the opening night of "Yemeniettes" followed by director led discussion. I will be there along with my other IRC coworkers. We are excited about the director commentary. It should be a fun experience, one that I hope a lot of you are going to join me for. Just a reminder, "Yemeniettes" is a documentary about three young girls from Yemen that enter an entrepreneurial contest with energy saving products, leading the way for future Yemenis to create a brighter future. Join me tonight 7PM at the Oriental Theater. Tickets cost $6. Can't wait to see you there!