New Muslim Cool

Posted September 23rd, 2009 by Boone
in
image: 
new-muslim-cool poster.jpg
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Directed by Jennifer Maytorena Taylor
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US, 2009, 82 minutes
date: 
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - 7:00pm
ticket price: 
$10
additional ticket info: 
$8 students/seniors, $5 Scribe members

Location(s)

International House
3701 Chestnut Street
Philadlephia, PA, 19104
See map: Google Maps

Jennifer Maytorena Taylor in person

Presented in partnership with Black Lily's Planet Rock Film Series and Afrotaino Productions

Twelve years ago, Puerto Rican American rapper Hamza Pérez changed his life from being a street hustler and started down a new path as a young Muslim. Now he’s moved to Pittsburgh’s tough North Side to start a new religious community, rebuild his shattered family, and take his message of faith to other young people through his uncompromising music as part of the hip-hop duo M-Team. Raising his two kids as a single dad and longing for companionship, Hamza finds love on a Muslim networking website and seizes the chance for happiness in a second marriage. But when the FBI raids his mosque, Hamza must confront the realities of the post-9/11 world, and challenge himself. He starts reaching for a deeper understanding of his faith, discovering new connections with people from Christian and Jewish communities. New Muslim Cool takes viewers on Hamza’s ride through the streets, projects and jail cells of urban America, following his spiritual journey to some surprising places — where we can all see ourselves reflected in a world that never stops changing.

Also screening: Beauty of the Veil
Directed and Produced by Amanda Johnson
Three young African American women share their personal reasons for choosing to wear the hijab, which is the Islamic head covering. What does it mean to be a Muslim woman? What are the benefits of the hijab? And what struggles do they face with family and society? (US, 2006, 13 minutes)
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Producer/Director Jennifer Maytorena Taylor’s credits include the documentaries Ramadan Primetime, Special Circumstances, Paulina, Home Front and Immigration Calculations, and many short films and television segments. Her work has won numerous festival awards and two Emmys. Based in San Francisco, she has held several arts and journalism fellowships — most recently with New Muslim Cool at the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Edit and Story Lab.

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Producers’ Forums are supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Independence Foundation.