"Paradise Now"
& "Junoon" to Receive MPAC's 15th Annual Media
Award
Los
Angeles: The Muslim Public Affairs Council announced March
8 that it would present its 15th Annual Media Award to Warner
Independent Pictures and Director Hany Abu-Assad for their
Golden Globe winning film "Paradise Now", and to
Salman Ahmed, creator of the wildly popular South Asian music
group "Junoon". The gala awards dinner will be held
on April 29, 2006 at the Marriott Downtown Hotel in Los Angeles,
CA.
The Academy Award-nominated "Paradise Now" follows
two Palestinian childhood friends who have been recruited
for a strike on Tel Aviv and focuses on their last days together
as they grapple with the moral and political questions facing
Palestinians resisting occupation. When they are intercepted
at the Israeli border and separated from their handlers, a
young woman who discovers their plan causes them to reconsider
their actions.
Winner of multiple prizes at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival,
and invited to the 2005 Telluride Film Festival and Toronto
International Film Festival, the film script was written by
Hany Abu-Assad ("Ford Transit," "Rana's Wedding")
and Bero Beyer and directed by Abu-Assad, and stars Kais Nashef,
Ali Suliman, and Lubna Azabal.
Salman Ahmed, founding member of one of South Asia's biggest
rock bands, Junoon, will be honored for using his music and
stardom as a tool for promoting peace and tolerance among
all people. Formed in 1990, Junoon's chart topping music is
inspired by the ancient Sufi tradition, and the band's music
and lyrics reflect moderate, modern Islam.
The subject of a 2003 PBS "Wide Angle" documentary
entitled "The Rock Star and the Mullahs", Ahmed
is also UNICEF's chosen spokesman for AIDS prevention, and
he and the group have publicly advocated the need for peace
with India. The group has also been recognized for its outstanding
achievements in music and peace by UNESCO, and for their contribution
to Asian culture by the BBC.
In an effort to promote positive and accurate portrayals of
Islam and Muslims, the Muslim Public Affairs Council each
year recognizes voices of courage and conscience who are the
best in their field. Since 1991, MPAC has honored artists,
actors, authors, and activists for their artistic contributions
to tolerance and diversity. Past recipients include Morgan
Spurlock for the "30 Days" episode "Muslims
and America", the Allah Made Me Funny Muslim Comedy Tour,
Spike Lee, Karen Armstrong, Hakim Olajuwan, Yusuf Islam and
the producers of VH1's "Behind the Music," Michael
Moore, and Alec Baldwin.
"We are thrilled to be able to recognize these talented
and inspirational voices for their humanizing portrait of
Islam and Muslims," said MPAC Executive Director Salam
Al-Marayati. "Amidst dismal and ominous daily reports
featuring criminals who disfigure the image of Islam and Muslims,
music and film hold the power to challenge stereotypes and
win hearts and minds."
To purchase your tickets for MPAC's 15th Annual Media Awards
Dinner on April 29, 2006 at the Marriott Downtown Hotel in
Los Angeles, call MPAC at (213) 383-3443. Tickets will not
be sold at the door.
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