Muslim Women Creators Changing the Game in Entertainment
By Sue Obeidi

We’re nearly one month away from the 30th annual MPAC Media Awards. In just 30 days, we will gather together virtually to honor people and projects in entertainment that are advancing change. Among those changemakers are women creators who are crafting stories that impact perceptions and on-screen representation of Muslim women.
Films and TV series written, directed, and produced by Muslim women are not as abundant as we’d like and stories about Muslim women are rarely told by them. This is why we’re so honored to recognize Muslim women creators who are at the forefront of making impactful social change in the industry. Americanish, I’ll Meet You There and We Are Lady Parts are part of this year’s lineup and they were all proudly created by Muslim women.

Join us on Sunday, June 26 at 5pm PT/8pm ET to hear from these extraordinary women who are changing the game across entertainment. RSVP here. This event is free and will be streamed live.

Americanish Director Iman Zawahry holds many accolades and is among the first hijab-wearing American Muslim filmmakers in the nation. Iman joined forces with Aizzah Fatimah, who co-wrote and co-produced Americanish. Aizzah also stars in the film as “Sam.” The film is based on Aizzah’s one-woman play, Dirty Paki Lingerie. Through the production of Americanish, both Iman and Aizzah were determined to create a conversation around women’s identity, sexuality, relationships, religion versus culture, racial profiling, and women in the workplace.

I'll Meet You There is a feature film written, directed and produced by Pakistani-American filmmaker Iram Parveen Bilal. The film’s storylines signal a departure from how Muslims and South Asians have typically been depicted in American cinema, where often Muslim women are given very little agency. I'll Meet You There recognizes the diversity of thought within the American Muslim community and gracefully tackles taboo issues Muslim women often face in their lives.

Inspired by her own life, Pakistani-American Writer and Director Nida Manzoor created We Are Lady Parts in the hopes of representing the challenges that many Muslim women face on their journey towards finding their voice, while remaining true to who they are. In a world where Muslim women are often misrepresented on screen, We Are Lady Parts creates relatable content that subtly showcases the diversity of Muslim women and the different ways they engage their faith.
We hope to “see” you at this special event that will leave you inspired and hopeful for a future that is brighter for Muslim women creators. To check out the rest of our honorees and to RSVP, click here.
(Sue Obeidi is Director, MPAC Hollywood Bureau)