The Halal GaP

Alex Kronemer, co-founder of Unity Production Foundation, joins us on The Halal Gap from DC! Alex talks to Sofia and Sikandar about his early life in Pennsylvania as well as his 10 year career in government, which included a stint working for Al Gore’s Reinventing Government team. Alex talks about how his first time at Hajj inspired him to get into filmmaking, UPF’s projects and initiatives including the animated film Lamya’s Poem, and his latest project - The Great Muslim American Road Trip! Tune in to hear that and much, much more!

Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq123 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24
Guest: Alex Kronemer @upftv
Producer: Asif Quraishi @sifq
Editor: Vikram Chouhan @whitenoisetunes
Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed @naarmz

Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers:

www.themosquers.com
https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/
https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest?
https://twitter.com/themosquers
https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/

Skillshare: https://skillshare.eqcm.net/halalgap

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The Halal Gap is back for Season 4! To kick things off, your co-hosts Sikandar Atiq and Sofia Alani chat with Cadar Mohamud, the founder of The Digital Sisterhood podcast and storytelling platform. Cadar talks about growing up in Toronto, passing Joe Rogan on the charts, how she’s helping Muslims get married, and much, much more!

Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq and Sofia Alani
Guest: Cadar Mohamud
Producer: Asif Quraishi
Editor: Vikram Chouhan
Researcher: Zaid Hassan
Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed

Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers:www.themosquers.com
https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/
https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest
https://twitter.com/themosquers
https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/

Skillshare: https://skillshare.eqcm.net/halalgap

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We conclude Season 3 of The Halal Gap with a very special episode: the recording of the panel discussion from Opening Credits, the kick-off to our festival weekend, on March 11, 2022. With over 250 artists and representatives from organizations and platforms in attendance, this event marked the largest gathering of Muslim creatives anywhere in the world. Opening Credits was made possible by our partners at Inspirit Foundation.

The panel, hosted by Sikandar Atiq, features award-winning writer and director Sahar Jahani; Canadian Screen Award winning actor, Hamza Haq; writer, filmmaker, and creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie, Zarqa Nawaz; and the 16th Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada, Claude Joli-Coeur. Our panelists discuss the issue of representation in film and TV, the realities facing Muslim artists today, and offer advice to those wanting to break into the industry.

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Best friends turned pop duo fajjr+ali join us today on The Halal Gap! They chat with Sofia and Sikandar about their backgrounds in theatre, the challenges that come with being Muslims making pop music, and people assuming they’re married. Fresh off the release of their new single, “I’m Fine”, Fajjr and Ali also give us a look inside their collaborative process. Plus: we take a moment to shoutout @themuslimvibe for including us on their list of Top Muslim Podcasts, and make a special announcement about our showcase event, The Mosquers Film Festival, happening on March 12, 2022!

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Revolutionary calligrapher and artist Karim Jabbari joins us from Milwaukee! Karim talks to Sofia and Sikandar about his connection with calligraphy, living under surveillance in Tunisia while his father was a political prisoner, his career as a championship winning University basketball player, and his move to Canada! Karim also discusses his pioneering work in light calligraphy, the courage it takes to be an artist, and the messages within his art. Plus, a special announcement about our showcase event, the Mosquers Film Festival, happening on March 12, 2022!

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Serena Rasoul, actress, writer, and founder of Muslim Casting joins us from DC! Serena talks about how to tell your parents you want to be an actor, practical advice on pursuing your dreams, the creation of Muslim Casting, and the incredible work she’s doing to help Muslims break into the industry. We also discuss her interview with NBC News about the absence of MENA talent in the 2021 blockbuster “Dune” despite the cultural influences in the film and source material. Tune in!

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Zainab Johnson, stand-up comedian, host of Netflix’s “100 Humans”, and Aleesha on Amazon Prime’s “Upload”, joins us from LA! Zainab chats with Sofia about growing up in Brooklyn as one of 13 siblings, her recent meeting and conversation with Dave Chapelle, why she was nervous before going on stage at I Heart Halal in 2019, and what’s different about performing for predominantly Muslim crowds. Tune in to hear all that plus a special announcement about our showcase event, the Mosquers Film Festival, on March 12, 2022!

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Arij Mikati, Managing Director of Culture Change at Pillars Fund, joins us from Chicago! Arij talks about the recent Pillars Fund study with USC titled “Missing and Maligned” which analyzes Muslim representation in Hollywood. She also talks about the Pillars Artist Fellowship, and how the organization is enabling Muslim filmmakers to tell more diverse stories. We also get into her own personal journey as an artist, including her theatre background and “The Girl Deep Down Below” - the webseries she starred in about Muslim women fighting supernatural forces! Arij, Sofia, and Sikandar also debate who was the better boyband - Backstreet Boys or NSYNC?

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