Thursday, February 10, 2011

::Sweet Cinema - "Mooz-Lum" Film Insight::



The #BeautifulCrusade continues and its very evident that the coming of age story is not just something I'm dealing with alone...

Yesterday, I had the awesome opportunity to interview Qasim Basir, writer and director of the new, independent film, Mooz-lum. I also was privileged to attend the pre-screening as well.

Mooz-lum is the story of a young, Muslim, African-American male, Tariq (played by the fresh Evan Ross) who struggles with identity and journey of self-discovery as a freshman in college. He has some inner battles with religious ties and understanding the new world that college life offers. The movie gives some hard hitting depictions of faith, hope, tolerance, understanding, self-awareness and forgiveness,

The story is actually an autobiographical memoir, if you will, of Qasim Basir's life. It parallels in a sense that he is a Muslim African-American male. This is his story.

Sitting down with him, I got a chance to get a feel for his own journey and his passion for creating a platform for difficult conversations to begin. He says that in America, there are distorted representations of Muslim Americans. There are also skewed views of how the Muslim woman is portrayed. This film definitely gives an in depth look at both roles as well as the Muslim family as a whole.

I saw myself in the film. It really was a mirror of the #BeautifulCrusade and what it means to know who you really are and be true to your purpose and beliefs. We all at times struggle with identity and who we are meant to be in this world. Qasim Basir has genuinely created a voice for those who can't speak of their personal journey.

I encourage everyone to go out and watch Mooz-lum this weekend. It is a limited, independent release through AMC and it's growth depends on how many go out and see it this weekend. This is definitely a story that needs to be told to the masses so get out and support passion and purpose. For those here in Chicago, it can be seen at the AMC River East, 322 East Illinois Street, Chicago, IL 60611.

Here's a listing of all other cities that it will be opening in initially:
Los Angeles - AMC 30 Block
San Francisco - AMC Leows Metreon 16
Detroit - AMC Star Fairlane 21
Philly - AMC Franklin Mills Mall
DC - AMC Hoffman Center
Dallas - AMC Grapevine Mills 30
Houston - AMC Studio 30
NY - AMC Empire 25
ATL - AMC North Dekalb Mall 16


If you  don't see your city listed, you can Demand It! in your town ;-D

Also, take some time out to visit the website and Facebook page





Much love,
#AmericasTweetheart
@CharriseRenee

2 comments:

  1. this looks good. Adding it to my list of must-sees!

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  2. The part I am looking forward to most is seeing how he deals with his new surroundings he isn't ready for yet. I am sure this movie will make it to Las Vegas but it will take a while and won't be showing long.

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