Saeed Refuses to Smile
By Elen Ghulam I am reminded of the game my husband and I play when I am mad at him. I will put on my longest most serious face, and he will do everything in his power to make...

Looking for a job in Hollywood!
Classic Hollywood poster By Siamack Baniameri Dear Hollywood Agents, Movie Executives, Casting agents and Directors, As a middle eastern actor who has studied his trade in the most prestigious Royal Shakespeare company in London, and the protégée of some...

Lily Munir on Indonesian Islamic Liberation Theology
By Yoginder Sikand Lily Zakiyah Munir is a leading Indonesian Muslim human rights activist. She is the director of the Jakarta-based Centre for Pesantren and Democracy Studies that works with the ‘ulama and students of Indonesian Islamic boarding schools...

A Different Sort of War Movie
"Kingdom of Heaven" (2005, 145 min.), directed by Ridley Scott. By Pamela K. Taylor I went to see Kingdom of Heaven this week – after all, friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers were bound to ask me what I thought...

The "Baghdad Blogger" Makes An Unsteady Leap To Film
By Zahir Janmohamed Midway through the movie "Baghdad Blogger," Salam Pax records a video journal entry from his hotel in Kerbala, Iraq just hours after a lethal suicide bomb attack killing 143 in the holy shrine of Imam Husain. Pax...

The Closed Doors
"The Closed Doors" (Al-Abwab Al-Mughlaqa) (1999, Egypt, 110 min.), directed by Atef Hetata. In Arabic with English subtitles. Free Screening: Friday, February 4, New York City I definitely believe that the best way to avoid fundamentalism is to be...

Shadows of the Past
To remember the war as a racket is not necessarily to re-open the wounds of a civil war that bitterly divided Lebanon along sectarian lines. Rather, it is to achieve a critical understanding of the power structures that have a vested interest in perpetuating war and gorging on the tragic waste of human potential.

Muhammad: The Last Prophet
The film is appealing, but it missed an opportunity to showcase many of the positive aspects of Muslim society.

Irresponsible Art & Tragic Death: Theo Van Gogh's 'Submission'
If Van Gogh sincerely intended to “help” Muslims, to reform them-- he would have made a different film.

Transcending the Boundaries of the Soul: RAY
By the end of the movie Ray Charles Robinson becomes the heroic comedian who overcomes all demons and disabilities to become the master of the game, an internationally recognized superstar and innovator who changed the world of music.

Counterfeit Cleric: Religion and Crime in Modern-Day Iran
Jaded and increasingly apathetic toward the Islamic Republic, many Iranians nowadays often find amusement sneakily mocking clerics on the streets of Tehran. Behind closed doors, Iranians have ridiculed mullahs and their triteness. With the release of The Lizard (Marmoulak), the subject is no longer private, breaking the long-established taboo of making fun of the Iranian religious authorities in public.

Clash of Fundamentalisms
When I was asked to review two movies, one about "Muslim fundamentalism" and one about the Gujarat massacre in India, I thought it would be great – two movies with lots of similarities. I was wrong.

In Spite of Restrictions: The Women of Iran
Persheng Sadegh-Vaziri’s film "Women Like Us" provides an insight into the lives of ordinary Iranian women.

Moore Hope
I wanted to make some strong rebel move that would not involve Mr. Moore earning more, while still using his cleverly made film to get Bush out of office. I decided that if Muhammad wouldn’t go to the mountain, then I’d take the mountain to Muhammad.

Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11: The Problem Is Bigger than the Bushes
Viewers who have suffered through the nightmare four years of the Bush administration and marched against the horrendous invasion and occupation of Iraq are understandably hopeful that Fahrenheit 9/11 will help produce “regime change” in the U.S. this fall. That may prove to be the case, but will putting Democrat John Kerry in the White House lead to withdrawal of U.S. troops, military bases, and profiteering corporations from Iraq, repeal of the Patriot Act, or a reorientation of U.S. foreign policy away from its drive for imperialist hegemony?

Review: Ten short films about Pakistan
Karachi Kamera short film festival does not promise anything more than an ounce of Pakistan’s soul, but this time it comes without all the other mind numbing chemicals.

“Control Room”: Freedom and Democracy, the Al Jazeera Way
This reluctantly symbiotic relationship—a little-love/little-more-hate kind of thing—between America’s image-makers (both in the media and government) and Al Jazeera is a constant thread running through Noujaim’s brilliant documentary.

Sweetness of Life: Review of Clay Bird
The Clay Bird is a beautiful and sophisticated film about a village in rural East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the turbulent years of the late 1960's, a time riddled with the rhetoric of war and political instability.

A Film That Challenges Itself and Islam
“Jihad” is a remarkable film – brave, open and honest. Francois Truffaut said that: "For me a great film is one that simultaneously expresses an idea of the cinema and an idea of the world." “Jihad” truly is a great film in those respects and should be seen by people regardless of their faith (or lack thereof).

The Power and The Passion: Mel Gibson's Film through Muslim Eyes
Even if the Jewish authorities at the time were involved, does that justify the atrocities committed against Jews throughout the Dark & Middle Ages? Or the Atrocities committed by the Nazis? Of course not.

In the Name of Allah, I Want to Blow You Up: "T for Terrorist"
There are two things I hate in this world, I used to joke as a teenager: One is bigotry in all its forms; the other is them sand niggers. I would use this tired and foul joke every time I was too bored to have a prolonged discussion of race and ethnicity with my fellow freshmen. I used to love watching Siskel and Ebert duke it out in their movie reviews. I was excited when I saw that they were doing a special show on hateful stereotypes in the movies. They went down the list of Hollywood’s racist and sexist offences one by one: blacks, Italians, women, gays. It was a long and sad tale of degradation and shame. And then they got to the part I had been waiting for: Arabs and Muslims.

Rana's Wedding
Rana’s Wedding is Palestine’s contribution to the art of filmmaking this year. It is every bit a masterpiece as Divine Intervention. Both movies are about a sweet and gentle romance with the cruel and absurd Israeli occupation as the backdrop. Rana’s Wedding lacks the big movie production qualities of its predecessor, but it makes up for it with the sweet lilting pace of an Iranian movie.

Inside Mecca: A Conversation with Producer Anisa Mehdi
Dealing with the challenges of entering Saudi Arabia with a crew and an ambitious plan of following three pilgrims simultaneously during the most crowded time of year—logistically, it was an ongoing nightmare. Whatever could go wrong did go wrong. But in the end, we were able to make a film that meets the quality standards to qualify as a National Geographic Special. But I am aware enough not to take all the credit. I saw God intervening—no way we could have completed this project otherwise.

Not Running Alone: A Review of Farah Nousheen’s “Nazrah”
And like with any rich and satisfying coffeehouse discussion, we are left with a question that gets us and keeps us thinking: What is our responsibility as Muslim women living in the west where, at least for today, there exists more religious freedom than in predominantly Muslim countries?

“There Are a Lot of People Out There Who Feel Like They Don’t Belong”: An Interview with Farah Nousheen
I think my experience had a lot to do with being a woman in an environment where almost all the leadership were men. At prayers, women we sat in a separate area with all the crying kids. It made me feel less important.

Sweet Songs of Sorrow
"Terror's Children" is Sharmeen Obaid's delightful offering to world peace and understanding. I urge you to see it if you can. There are moments of brilliance scattered all over this film. A group of little girls slap makeup on a friend and make her the bride in a make belief wedding. Then they march down the street in a colorful procession. One skinny five year old girl bursts out into a jiggling dance, proving once again that women the world over were born to boogie.

Divine Intervention: Palestinian Film Satirizes Israeli Occupation
By Pat McDonnell Twair Festering humiliation and rage of oppressed Palestinians is the underlying theme of Elia Suleiman’s Divine Intervention which opened March 14 in eight California theaters (for national playdates, see distributor Avatar Films' website)....