The New York Muslim Film Festival is set to debut at Manhattan’s SVA Theatre as the city’s first festival dedicated to Muslim filmmakers. The event aims to provide a platform for Muslim storytellers to present their own narratives rather than serving as counter-narratives to mainstream media portrayals. Artistic director Hassan Babar emphasized that these stories should establish their own paradigm rather than react to existing stereotypes.
The one-day festival will feature 12 short films originating from seven countries across multiple genres, including documentaries, dramas, comedies, animation, and experimental works. Women comprise the majority of the program’s directing team. The schedule includes an opening reception for filmmakers and industry attendees, followed by two blocks of six films running approximately one hour each, culminating in awards presentations and jury announcements.
The six-member jury includes Aasif Mandvi, an Emmy winner known for his work on “The Daily Show” and the Paramount+ series “Evil.” Other panelists encompass Darine Hotait, an Arab-American writer-director whose shorts have aired on HBO and other major networks; Munir Atalla, head of production and acquisitions at Watermelon Pictures and a former Netflix executive; and producer Abubakar Khan, whose credits include Pakistan’s 2024 Oscar submission “The Glassworker.” Completing the panel are Sarah Mokh, a Sundance Feature Film Fellow working on her debut feature, and Abubakr Ali, an Egyptian-American actor with upcoming roles in films by Bassam Tariq and Sean Durkin.
The festival’s programming spans diverse themes and tones. Documentaries explore personal stories, while dramas, comedies, and animated works examine cultural, family, and personal identity themes. The slate includes works from countries including Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Afghanistan, and Canada. Watermelon+ will sponsor a Discovery Award providing the streaming platform exclusive limited licensing rights to the winning film. Additional supporters include the Islamic Scholarship Fund, production company Lost in Space, and Aneesa Talks, an organization founded to support South Asian and Muslim creative professionals.
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