9th Annual Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival to illuminate complexity of contemporary Muslim experiences

Graphic design by Nayfa Naji

The 9th Annual Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival comes to the Oriental Theatre Oct. 17-20 with award-winning films about Muslims in our time—including a documentary chronicling a hate crime survivor’s healing journey to forgiveness, a reality TV-style documentary that puts four survivors of different wars together to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and an upbeat fantasy animation about a six-year-old girl who flees Aleppo, Syria, with her grandparents to a new world.

It also features several hard-hitting journalism features. One raises questions about the role of Evangelical Christianity in American politics and foreign policy. Another exposes what is happening to the Uyghurs in Chinese detention and “re-education” camps. A third takes an in-depth look at attacks on civilians by the Israeli military in Gaza and the United States’ role in the now year-long war.

Each screening will be followed by discussions with film producers, directors or others with real-life experience in the issues explored.

The curated collection of eight films “transcend countries, languages and cultures while highlighting the humanity of all races, ethnicities and religious beliefs,” said a statement released Wednesday from the festival organizers. The four-day event is presented by the Muslim Women’s Coalition and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.

Ticket prices are $13 for adults; $11 for seniors, students and educators with ID; and $7 for children 12 years old and under. See the full line-up and purchase tickets here.

Muslim Women’s Coalition launches narrative-change campaign

With this year’s Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival, the Muslim Women’s Coalition unveils a significant rebranding and launches its Connecting Hearts, Strengthening Communities public relations campaign.

The Muslim Women’s Coalition unveils new logo this month.

In its rebranding, the former “Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition” drops “Milwaukee” and becomes the “Muslim Women’s Coalition” and reveals a new logo.

“The updated name reflects the coalition’s broader reach,” says Janan Najeeb, Executive Director of MWC and founder of the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival. “We have built a strong legacy under the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition. But our work now spans throughout the state and region, so it’s time our name reflects our growth.”

Yet, its mission has not changed, Najeeb said. Since its founding in 1994, the MWC has advocated for religious tolerance and women’s empowerment. The Milwaukee-based non-profit “is dedicated to fostering mutual respect and understanding through education about Islam while supporting the personal and professional development of Muslim women,” said Wednesday’s press release. The film festival is a cornerstone of MWC’s outreach.

Its Connecting Hearts, Strengthening Communities multi-media campaign features positive, empowering images of Muslim women and girls that will appear across Milwaukee following the film festival. Funded by a United Way Racial Equity Fund grant, this multi-format initiative seeks to uplift the voices of thriving Muslim women and girls through social media, billboards, radio, print, and digital ads.

“Focused on combating negative stereotypes, the campaign will showcase positive and vibrant images of diverse Muslim women and girls, both hijab and non-hijab-wearing, encouraging the community to view Muslim women as vital contributors to Milwaukee’s diverse and vibrant social fabric,” the press release said.

“Muslim women deserve to be seen as the strong, dynamic individuals they are,” said Najeeb. “Our campaign seeks to reshape how Muslim women and girls are portrayed, helping to build a community where everyone is respected and valued.”

2024 MMFF features diverse array of films

Pain and Peace

Movie Gourmet calls Pain and Peace “extraordinary and emotionally powerful.” The survivor of a post 9/11 hate crime explores the roots of hate and the power of forgiveness. “It’s not very often that I see a movie as potentially life-changing, but this one is,” the reviewer says.

10/17 at 7 p.m. A film exploring the power of forgiveness over hate. (click on image to view trailer)

Praying for Armageddon

“This deep dive into power and policy unveils how politicians driven by faith embrace Israel as the key to their prophetic vision for the end of days, at any cost, ultimately escalating the spirals of violence in the Middle East,” says a 2023 review in Variety.

10/18 at 7 p.m. A political thriller investigating the dangerous fusion between Evangelical Christianity and American politics. (click on image to view trailer)

All Static & Noise

Modern Times calls All Static & Noise “groundbreaking” and “necessary.” It “tells the world about who the Uyghurs are and what is currently happening to them at the hands of the Chinese government. Beyond that, it tells a story of exile, resilience, and the dignified hope one finds when accepting one’s fate but not resigning to it.”

10/19 at 1 p.m. Survivors risk everything to expose the truth of China’s Uyghur detention and ‘re-education’ camps. (click on image to view trailer)

Seize the Summit

Seize the Summit executive director/producer Arwa Damon, an Emmy-winning senior international CNN correspondent, recognized a unique opportunity to present incredible stories of war survivors by including them in hiking trips to the summit of Kilimanjaro for a charity she co-founded.

“I had to make this documentary happen to experiment with a blend of the ‘traditional documentary’ and ‘reality tv,’” Damon said. “I just had a gut feeling that it would be a unique way, given the adventure backdrop of getting this to a younger audience and give them the space to learn about their peers who survived war, and also to get it in front of a more adult audience who may not be interested in war and refugees. This documentary would inspire, educate, break barriers and preconceptions.”

10/19 at 4 p.m. Four young people’s thrilling journey to reach the summit of Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro. (click on image to view trailer)

The Night Won’t End

Democracy Now calls the documentary The Night Won’t End “an epic work.” Over the course of several months, its filmmakers worked with journalists in Gaza to tell the story of three Palestinian families living amid the relentless Israeli assault, recognizing the feat they accomplished in gaining access to sources unreachable by most of the Western press.

10/19 at 7 p.m. Investigating Israeli military attacks on civilians in Gaza and the U.S.role in the war. (click on image to view trailer)

Dounia & The Princess of Aleppo

Screen Daily’s 2022 review of Dounia & The Princess of Aleppo has “gentle charm” in its graphic animation style. “The frame is always full of miles and flowers, a representation of Dounia’s optimistic spirit.” The addition of music from the oud and flutes add to “the film’s celebratory approach to life, however challenging,” it said.

10/20 at 1 p.m. Young Dounia leaves Aleppo with the Princess of Aleppo’s help and travels towards a new world. (click on image to view trailer)

The Teacher

The Hollywood Reporter calls The Teacher, “an eye-opening dramatization of life in Occupied Palestine.” At its core “is an intimate exploration of life in occupied Palestine, is a question posed by a bereaved teenager to the title character, who has suffered his own family-shattering losses. ‘After all you’ve been through,’ the boy named Adam says, “you still believe there’ll be justice?”

10/20 at 4 p.m. Palestinian teacher struggles to reconcile his risky commitment to political resistance with emotional support for one of his students. (click on image to view trailer)

Hajjan

The National in Saudi Arabia celebrates Hajjan as “the great Arab adventure epic we’ve been waiting for.”

“To this day, camel races, beauty competitions and auctions are among the most popular cultural phenomena in the region – and yet, to this day, no film has ever truly honed in on what makes the species so special,” it quotes the film’s producer Majed Z. Samman saying.

Acclaimed Egyptian producer Mohamad Hefzy told The National the film is a coming-of-age story”about a teenage boy who undergoes a transformation from tragedy to hope. “It’s a film about good vs. evil, resilience and more – all ingrained in the Bedouin and Saudi culture and camel racing.”

10/20 at 7 p.m. Moving adventure story of the deep bond that can develop between human and animal. (click on image to view trailer)

The Muslim Women’s Coalition would like to thank our sponsors and allies for their support of the 2024 Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival. Thanks to their generosity the festival is going strong!

2024 Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival

PRESENTING SPONSOR