SHIREEN ALIHAJI
(B.1987 Los Angeles, CA)
ISF is proud to announce our Muslim Centered Writers’ Lab. Made possible with support from Extracurricular and @theblcklst, the Writers’ Lab aims to uplift the American Muslim narrative by elevating opportunities for Muslim screenwriters to be at the center of their story.
What would our creative landscapes feel like if they were handled with care?
Caregivers is a creative lab for Caregivers with the intention of developing a sustainable art practice and developing a storytelling project.
Historical exclusion has left many filmmaking communities out of conversations that define mainstream film landscapes. This has forced communities to build their own ecosystems that challenge the centralization of power and defy reliance on mainstream models.
Hosted by The Gotham
Panelists include The New Orleans Society, Mama.Film and the Islamic Scholarshipfund.
Artist Support Presents: Sound, Cinema & Subconscious: World building Through Sound facilitated by Composer/Sound Designer Estevan Carlos Benson.
Hosted by Islamic Scholarship Fund
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Artist Support Presents the Monthly Review. Tune in to Episode 1: Faroukh Virani talks interviews Filmmaker Khaula Malik about her documentary "There Was Nobody Here We Knew" streaming now on PBS.
Co-created with alumni Faroukh Virani
Hosted by Islamic Scholarship Fund
Flipping the Gaze:
Restorative Filmmaking
Techniques and Technologies
Building from the work of Philip Butler we reflect on: The camera has historically been used as a weapon against our community; from surveillance to the harmful tropes of mainstream media. So what happens when we take the technology of the camera, and flip the gaze through storytelling? What does a Muslim Future look like when we are the ones holding the camera?
Co-Authored with Kausar Mohammed
Presented at:
SFFILM School at the Festivals 2022
Vigilant Love 2021
Islamic Scholarship Fund 2020
Artist Support Presents: Unfolding Your Center
We acknowledge the historical oppression embedded in the industries our filmmakers create in. Muslim Centered Artist Circles is a series intended to provide space and time for our alumni to restore and regroup.
In unfolding experiences safely, in community, the circle is formed to support your filmmaking path and practice.
This month's topic is "Compass Building" and will be co-facilitated by artist Brynne Filer. "Compass Building" is an interactive artist led workshop that supports filmmakers in forming and centering their practice as they navigate industry.
Hosted by Islamic Scholarship Fund
Artist Support Presents:
Muslim Centered; a Table Read series centering Muslim narratives. Our public program is 1.5 hours of performance and feedback.
Hosted by Islamic Scholarship Fund
Beyond representation: Muslim Cinematic Futures: How does representation need to be redefined to best support a Muslim Cinematic Future?
The Islamic Scholarship Fund is the proud to sponsor of the first American Muslim Film Grant supporting Muslim filmmakers to change the narrative and tell their own stories. We are joined by filmmaker Iman Zawahry, Aizzah Fatima (Portland Film Festival Narrative Feature Competition: Americanish) and fellow ISF Alumni: Hakeem Khaaliq, Kausar Mohammed, Jumai Yusuf, Adeel Ahmed, and moderator Shireen Alihaji.