AhlulBayt News Agency: London is set to welcome the first-ever Muslim International Film Festival (MIFF), an event dedicated to showcasing the diverse experiences of Muslims through cinema.
The festival will kick off on May 30 at Leicester Square and will run for four days.
The festival's lineup includes a selection of films by Muslim filmmakers from around the globe, as well as works that draw inspiration from Muslim culture and beliefs.
MIFF director Sajid Varda, in a conversation with Arab News, expressed the festival's core mission: "The idea behind the festival is about reclaiming our identity and celebrating it. For the longest time, being Muslim has felt like something we can’t be proud of," he said.
Varda elaborated on the challenges faced by the Muslim community in terms of representation: "We’ve had to hide our identity, and the narrative around our faith and identities has often been controlled by others. There’s been a persistent frustration with how to change those perceptions and how to reconnect with wider audiences and communities."
The festival aims to offer insights into the lives and experiences of Muslims, while also highlighting the talent and contributions of the Muslim creative community to the film industry.
The opening film will be the London premiere of "Hounds" ("Les Meutes") by Moroccan filmmaker Kamal Lazraq, which tells the story of a father and son involved in petty crime in the suburbs of Casablanca.
The event will also feature acclaimed films from the UK, France, Turkiye, Tunisia, Jordan, Iran, and Sudan, among others.
In addition to film screenings, the festival will host Q&A sessions, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, collaborating with entities such as the British Film Commission, Netflix, and the BBC.
Varda highlighted the festival's commitment to inclusivity: "We wanted to ensure that the films align with our faith and ethos, avoiding gratuitous violence, nudity and overtly sexual themes. This makes the content accessible to all, not just Muslims, but also people of other faiths and beliefs who might be sensitive to these issues."
Furthermore, MIFF has taken steps to make the festival accessible financially. "Our ticket costs are much lower compared to other festivals. We’ve also given out many tickets at no cost to various organizations, and offered discounts to students and those facing financial hardship," Varda added.
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The festival will kick off on May 30 at Leicester Square and will run for four days.
The festival's lineup includes a selection of films by Muslim filmmakers from around the globe, as well as works that draw inspiration from Muslim culture and beliefs.
MIFF director Sajid Varda, in a conversation with Arab News, expressed the festival's core mission: "The idea behind the festival is about reclaiming our identity and celebrating it. For the longest time, being Muslim has felt like something we can’t be proud of," he said.
Varda elaborated on the challenges faced by the Muslim community in terms of representation: "We’ve had to hide our identity, and the narrative around our faith and identities has often been controlled by others. There’s been a persistent frustration with how to change those perceptions and how to reconnect with wider audiences and communities."
The festival aims to offer insights into the lives and experiences of Muslims, while also highlighting the talent and contributions of the Muslim creative community to the film industry.
The opening film will be the London premiere of "Hounds" ("Les Meutes") by Moroccan filmmaker Kamal Lazraq, which tells the story of a father and son involved in petty crime in the suburbs of Casablanca.
The event will also feature acclaimed films from the UK, France, Turkiye, Tunisia, Jordan, Iran, and Sudan, among others.
In addition to film screenings, the festival will host Q&A sessions, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, collaborating with entities such as the British Film Commission, Netflix, and the BBC.
Varda highlighted the festival's commitment to inclusivity: "We wanted to ensure that the films align with our faith and ethos, avoiding gratuitous violence, nudity and overtly sexual themes. This makes the content accessible to all, not just Muslims, but also people of other faiths and beliefs who might be sensitive to these issues."
Furthermore, MIFF has taken steps to make the festival accessible financially. "Our ticket costs are much lower compared to other festivals. We’ve also given out many tickets at no cost to various organizations, and offered discounts to students and those facing financial hardship," Varda added.
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