Identity and the Other

It just occurred to me after rereading Ryszard Kapuscinski’s “The Other” – that the fear of the other is fear of looking at oneself. Without the Other the self would need no defining and the more we expose ourselves to the Other the more multifaceted and interesting and vibrant we become. What a great way of looking at it.

Or put it this way: our own identity only exists through the existence of “other” – otherwise there is no reason to define yourself if there is no ‘setting apart FROM’.

Happiness

I love when John Tierney of the New York Times writes and his newest Science Section article of November 16th, 2010 is no exception. My favorite sentence in reference to happiness from the article is: “[...] the location of the body is much less important than the location of the mind [...]!”

How very true is that and still we love to travel and love to have ourselves transported, physically to places that ought to make us happy; and I'm the first to agree that there's nothing like standing IN nature and experiencing it - some might feel that way about art, a city or a restaurant.

But on the long run and on a much more practical level - the mind travels for free and can go where the body can't - we should all book more regular braincations.

I'll start right now by STOPPING to write...

"Abraham's Children" Post Screening Discussion

@ Intersections International, September 2010, New York City

Social Studies - Moving Forward and Onward!

Last night I found myself in a room full of Social Studies teachers, Museum educators and assorted other people, all passionate about teaching young people K – 12 about the world around them and preparing them for responsibilities in the real word as engaged, educated and civic minded members of their communities. It was an eye opener for me as I have not gone through the New York (or American for that matter) school and I have no kids.

The ATSS/UFT Center for the Study and Practice of Social Studies is putting together a task force to move the social studies programs across New York into the 21st century, streamlining them and giving weight to issues long neglected. In particular Asian studies.

For those of you, who like me have no clue of the acronyms: ATTS: The Association of Teachers of Social Studies and the UFT is the United Federation of Teachers.

The undertaking to address these major issues is epic and I hope they will succeed – from the energy in the room and the passion from the organizers I have little doubt.

So: if you are a social studies teacher, principal, educator, filmmaker, activist or someone with any kind of fundraising and grant writing experience…. give them a shout! They will need your help.

Rozella Kirchgaessner, president of the ATSS: atssuftnyc@gmail.com.

New York Times Columnist, Nicholas Kristof: My Apology to Muslims

What a powerful article by journalist, writer and activist Nicholas Kristof. Also check out his book: Half the Sky.

This my comment:

Dear Nicholas: thank you! Thank you for doing what so many of us should have done weeks (months and years ago) - speak up! And thank you for doing it so eloquently and succinctly and I want to join you in your apology to Muslims in America and Muslims around the world.

I wish I could have put my thoughts into words like yours, but I hope I put them well enough into images with a film called 'Abraham's Children' - www.abrahamschildrendoc.com - about Muslim children in the New York school system, where every 10th child is Muslim.

Muslim children in America (and NYC particularly I think) are robbed of a 'normal' childhood and find themselves having to defend their religion at an age where they should be busy figuring out 'teenage stuff'. They are - often unwilling - experts on their religion when they might not have the inclination, maturity and oratory finesse to be pulled into such a difficult and private discussion about one’s own faith. I certainly - even today - would not want to have to explain my believe system to strangers.

May we all have the strength to keep educating those in need of learning about bigotry, racism, hatred and just plain dumb generalizations - and on the latter I'll start with myself.

Intersections Screening

Last night we had a SOLD OUT screening of Abraham's Children at Intersections International! Over sixty people were in attendance and the panel discussion and Q&A session were very lively. Sara Reef of Intersections moderated and Dr. Lou Cristillo and Susan Smith brought some very interesting points to the panel discussion. More on that later!

Intersections Panel Moderator Sara Reef

Intersections Screening - pre-event

Intersections Panel:  Nina Froriep, Dr. Lou Cristillo, Susan Smith

Imam Ibrahim Negm

The Islamic Center of Long Island held, as every year for the past seven, an interfaith Iftar during the month of Ramadan.

The house was packed and Isma Chaudhry (one of the mom's in my film) did an extraordinary job in hosting the evening. Her smarts, wit and kindness kept the evening moving along with many inspiring and lovely moments as local leaders from so many different congregations took to the podium to either talk about their faith or expand on fasting - each from their point of view.

I was fascinated and a bit intimidated as Isma had asked me to say a few words about the film. But it was a wonderful opportunity to have a captive audience that actually cared about the topic of the film - and, inshallah, we are a small step closer to getting this film into all schools in America! Sukran.

MC Isma Chaudhry

AALBC.com Backyard Screening

Saturday night was a perfect night - warm, dry and starry. Troy Johnson of the AALBC.com hosted a wonderful backyard screening in his brownstone in Harlem. The Q&A afterwards was very enlightening - a very different crowd than the one on Wednesday at Global Kids, they focused more on the filmmakers choice of kids in the film and their ethnic and social backgrounds - I enjoyed that discussion very much and it also showed me on how many different levels the film can be viewed and critiqued.
As there was no 'escape' during the screening I did see the film for the first time in a while in its entirety and it was mind boggling to me that I once though that every frame was necessary. There is so much I would cut out now and so much else I would like to put in. The two stories that I miss seeing the most are the more 'street wise' kid, maybe one that is even struggling with his/her faith and a West African Muslim.
But hindsight is always 20/20 even as we get older and need reading glasses.

Global Kids Screening and Iftar

Global Kids Team, Nina and Imran (3rd from L)

Q&A after the screening

On Wednesday we had a wonderful screening and Iftar at Global Kids. The audience seemed very appreciative of the film and some of the questions during the Q&A were very thought provoking - thank you!  Global Kids raised over $300 and a I was able to sell a few copies of the film.

I want to thank Rik Panganiben, Amira Fouad and Usman Farooq and the GK team for their enthusiasm and for making the screening happen. Their blog post about the screening gives a nice overview.

Usman also shared a lovely story about the restaurant that donated the very delicious food for the Iftar and I want to share it with you - it's in the true spirit my crew and I experienced when we were shooting the film during the month of Ramadan 2008:

I had to share this story as I am extremely touched by it.

For the movie screen of Abraham's Children we decided to do an iftar dinner (breaking the fast for Ramadan). Rik, Amira and I walked around our local restaurants to ask for food donation for the event. 

We had some luck until we went to Chandni restaurant. I spoke to the front counter person and he gave me the owner's phone number and said that he is a nice man so ask him. After a brief conversation with the owner, Muhammad Asharaf, he agreed to provide us with food and emphasized that to take as much as we want. I was a bit shock about this man generosity over the phone.

A day before the event I spoke to him on the phone to confirm and requested food for 40 people instead of the original 30. He again mention not to worry and order as much food as we need.

The day of movie screening we had more then enough good tasting food to go around. Filmmaker, Nina Froriep, was kind enough to offer a copy of her film and wrote a thank you letter to the owners of the restaurant [...].

The next day of the screening I went to the restaurant with a thank you letter from GK and Nina; and the DVD. A calm mannered middle-age man approached me after the front counter person mentioned that he is Muhammad. I started to thank him for his generosity only to be thank twice as much in return for selecting him to provide food for our Iftar. I mentioned that everyone loved the food and how grateful we are. The next moment his eyes teared up and he humbly thanked me again for appreciating his generosity. He then proceeded to say that what we are doing is great and he saw purity in our work. Adding that God will defiantly bless us.

I wanted to share his gratitude and his well wishes to all of GK staff for the new school year. I can truly say that our purse of educating the underprivileged and misunderstood youth is very pure and it shines out of our staff. I am grateful to be part of such an organization.

Good luck to all of us for a very new and exciting school year.
Sincerely, Usman Farooq

Upcoming Screenings

Ramadan Mubarak! The North-America Screening Tour of Abraham's Children is in full swing. Visit the Ramadan Screening Tour page for more information and links to all the screenings.


There are two screenings I'd like to highlight as I will be attending them and many of you e-mailed me after you missed the Premiere in the Bronx in May (sorry for the remote location, but it was an awesome screening), so here is your chance for a MANHATTAN screening:

AALBC and my friend Troy Johnson are screening next Saturday, August 28th, 2010 in Harlem - this will be an outdoor screening in a brownstone garden and should be lovely. RSVP!

Intersections International is screening on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 - we have a GREAT panel after and it should be a very interesting discussion.

See you there!

What Surprise Parties and the Prodigal Son (aehm Daughter) have in Common

I live far away from my family, which most of the time suits me well. I love going ‘home’ and spending quality time with my family and then coming back ‘home’ (here in New York) and mind my own business at my own pace – far faster than anything on a Swiss Autobahn.

Early this summer my mother had a ‘big’ round birthday and we had decided over the Christmas Holiday that it was ‘irresponsible’ to spend the money and ‘made no sense’ for me to visit just for the birthday. And at any rate, my mother said: It’s no big deal.

That changed when my father dropped a line about “the Party”. What party? I think I reserved the (frequent flyer) ticket within 24 hour of that conversation. The days before I was fretting over whether it was going to be perceived well that I had spent “all that money” (time is the issue here, really) to just come for a few days for the birthday and the party. My sister bent over backwards to organize everything at the ‘home’ front so we would have a great family dinner (cooked by her in her kitchen and transferred to my parents house).

When my mother saw me standing in the elevator – the look on her face was beyond priceless. I was holding a huge bowl of potato salad so we couldn’t hug – so I gave HER the huge bowl of potato salad – and we still couldn’t hug. It was clear and evident that the decision to come had been the only right one.

Two days later at “the Party” I was passed around like a prize possession - the ‘pragmatic, practical, reasonable’ daughter that after all had shown up all the way from America for my mother’s birthday. I felt bad for my sister who had so much to do with planning it, keeping it a secret, putting up with me and that big dinner two nights earlier and I got all the glory just for showing up…. thank you, Meta.

The Challenge of Anger Among Young Muslims in America

A supporter of the film sent me this blog post looking for my response to it. I read the blog post plus the 10 pages of commentary. It talks about polling and the discovery that a much higher percentage of Muslim youth than any other denomination is angry, depressed or unsatisfied with their lives. The commentaries went in a totally different direction and worried me more than the article.

Here my comments:

I was a bit surprised at the responses that really did not at all address the issue at hand but talked about ‘repatriating’ rather than actively working on a solution to a real problem. I find at my end there is very little energy from Muslim NGO’s to reach out across the faiths to educate and create understanding – I get a lot more support from other groupings […] to help spread the word with the film, then I do from Muslim organizations. There seems to be much more of a fatalistic undercurrent that is also visible in the responses to the survey.

The survey itself however I’m not surprised about. If Muslims are demonized all the time of course the youth and children will internalize that, be it that they pick it up subconsciously at home when adults talk about it or actually have negative experiences themselves. Going ‘back’ – for many, especially converts there is no ‘back’ – is not the answer. Muslims in this country and Europe have to learn to take responsibility to teach, reach out and build bridges - that is what’s so important. We don’t all need to agree on everything but we need to learn to live together respectfully….

Guest Blog: Cross Cultural Luggage - What Color is Yours?

by Susanne Mueller
Have you ever wondered when you are waiting in the arrival hall of an airport where the luggage on the carrousel originates from? You look at the diverse people around you and are thinking of which arriving luggage belongs to whom? Transnationals, business executives, entrepreneurs, consultants, leisure travelers, and families with kids are populating the arrival halls. These days most of the bags look more like global luggage: plenty of them are the same size, shape, and colors are black, brown, gray; on my mum’s clever observation she bought a bright red one –now it seems multiple people were following my mum’s advise and you see many more red colored bags. What color is your luggage? What has luggage in common with cross cultural issues? Luggage can shed some interesting light on a variety of cross cultural stories beyond borders.

Let’s go back in time and delve into nostalgia: in the early days, people were traveling on boats and vessels and were carrying, maybe also sending heavy trunks with all their personal belongings to venture to a new world. The pieces of luggage looked more like entire, immense houses itself. In those days, people were traveling for an extended amount of time and many travels, discoveries and explorations took much longer than today’s supersonic Concorde flights from Europe to America – which unfortunately, in my opinion, do not exist any longer. All nostalgic memories we have of the old times when traveling was something special and very much out of the ordinary!

So if we go back to the arrival hall at the airport and still wonder where the luggage comes from do we now look at things differently though a novel, cleaner, unusual, and curious lens? I used to work at the Lost Luggage office for Swissair lines in Switzerland: in retrospect I think that was my best ever –non academic however - cross cultural training which I obtained without even thinking or enjoying it fully: After a while I became an expert in deciphering and telling where on this planet the pieces possibly would come from.

• Asians tend to have very elegant and high end, high tech pieces that would have wheels on all four corners. So they could wheel their luggage upside down as well as lift them up easy to pack them in the buses. They were apt to travel in groups in and out of many towns and countries in a short amount of time. So all had to be very functional yet elegant to fit their style.

• Middle Eastern luggage was usually big, vinyl and in dark moron, gray & black colors. Most of the pieces would have some dust of the desert on them. Their purpose of travel was mostly to visit family members and they brought with them many goods from foreign lands. These pieces intrigued me the most as they looked very interesting, mystical and I am sure they could tell a thousand stories from their long travels: Arabian nights without wheels.

• European luggage seemed to be more practical and typically smaller. Europeans can travel light and very down to earth. So a backpack could be as adequate as well as a sports bag or a suitcase. Many different colors and patterns with or without a logo were available.

• The American luggage represented in those days the ‘American Tourister’, all looked brand new from a major department store. Usually, there were many in the same shape and pattern. Obviously, women on their trips needed a full bag of shoes to accommodate all possibilities of their travels and potential opportunities. Also Americans were known to travel through Europe in a whirlwind.

Some observation that I have made was that today in the global environment we see less and less cross cultural luggage –the globalization has taken over: there are fewer nuances. We all can agree with Thomas Friedman’s quote: “The World is flat” (2005). "We merge into a global travel civilization where all looks the same."

***
Susanne Mueller, MA, New York, http://www.susannemueller.biz/, a transition coach and consultant is an expert on cross cultural awareness. She was working for Swissair lines in Switzerland and New York. She resides in New York, USA.

Small Moments

Last night I was invited to the North-East Regional fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of America. Thirteen youth competed for a spot to their National competition in DC that day. They had been grilled during the entire day and then spoke for two minutes each before a sell-out crowd of about 150 at the fundraising dinner.

The young lady who won, Dempsey sat after the tables had all cleared and most guests had left, alone at her table with the gigantic mock up check from the Reader's Digest Foundation in her lap. It was a beautiful moment, noticed first by a woman who works for RD. I looked around for a camera and saw the young woman's sister's camera and asked her to take a picture - for herself - of this lovely and intimate moment. At that point another video producer who was at the table with us jumped into action, walked over, pulled the check into the light and made sure it was well visible for the camera. I was shocked.

First for the fact that I had not thought to do that myself and then that I had that reaction to begin with. My instinct was right - and it was a documentarians instinct and not a corporate video producers, it was a beautiful intimate moment, perfect for the camera of Dempsey's family and the checks amount or donor where at that moment irrelevant. But the other producer's instinct was great too - capture this intimate moment but make sure it's relevant for her client RD, even at the risk of losing the magic.

Can one wear both hats as a corporate director and a documentarian? Where are my instincts stronger? Had I reacted differently if RD was my active client? How many hats can we wear effectively, especially in a creative environment?

How many hats do you wear?

Children of the Blue Sky

My friend and Director of Photography, Martina Radwan is single handedly running, fundraising and growing this foundation for street kids in Mongolia. She has a lovely website, and I’m always excited to get her updates.

There is such a sense of progress, real hope and that the money goes to the kids and the kids only. Martina takes each of these children under her wing and sets them up for a new life, hope and a future.  Read some of the stories and donate your old (sturdy) shoes!

info@eternalblueskyofmongolia.org

Living in Boxes

I’m moving. That ranks first, third and not at all on the list of 10 most stressful things in life you can do, depending on which list you consult. Interestingly enough: the list that did NOT list moving as one of the 10 most stressful things to do DID list three versions of breakup, jail term, marriage and pregnancy. Which goes to proof that being single was a very smart choice. It cuts down the clutter of stress lists to bereavement, moving and jail term, the latter of which I (so far) have been able to avoid. But moving I now must.

But what happens to “moving”, when it becomes: “I thought I was moving, but now I might be moving next week, but maybe I won’t move next week but next month instead?” I think it goes off the chart of stressful and into a list all of its own, filed somewhere under: “it’s complicated”, “I don’t want to talk about it”, “great excuse to excuse yourself and not be on time, not find ANYTHING, live in a mess, have cracked fingernails and a constant dust allergy cold and in general be in a real foul mood” – after all you ARE super stressed!

I’m living in boxes. Box #16 holds a lot of the stuff I packed when I thought I’d move next week and I’ve been eyeing #16. Do I open #16? If I open #16 do I also open #2 which also has stuff I need? Do I learn to life without content of box #16 and #2? What precedent do I set if I start opening boxes? Will I fill them with OTHER stuff and rewrite the packing list, or will I leave #16 open and put the stuff back in just before I move?

No wonder moving is stressful.

Everything I take into my hands now is suspiciously eyed under the scrutiny of a move pending, not confirmed, but happening somewhere in the near (or not so near) future. Will this be an item that goes into one of the ‘last minute’ boxes? How many of those ‘last minute’ boxes will I have? Do I pack them the morning of the move or the night before? What could happen that would make this item unnegotiable necessity? Do I need this thing for my summer vacation? Will I move before or after?… arghhhh.

I’m moving; and I will have a new address – soon.

Whoes Reality is it?

“As a documentarian I happily place my fate and faith in reality. It is my caretaker, the provider of subjects, themes, experiences – all endowed with the power of truth and the romance of discovery. And the closer I adhere to reality the more honest and authentic my tales. After all, the knowledge of the real world is exactly what we need to better understand and therefore possibly to love one another. It’s my way of making the world a better place.” Albert Maysles

As documentary film makers we grapple with reality every day. We portray reality in our films and we want others to experience it as well. But we need to take Albert Maysles quote a step further and ask: WHOSE REALITY; mine, the subjects, yours? What is the viewer’s reality – will the viewer see what I saw? On what journey can I take the viewer without losing credibility? Do I have to cater to the smallest common denominator?

I was in a mosque showing my film Abraham’s Children a few days ago. I thought my audiences and my common ground would be the ‘love’ for the children in the film and the acknowledgement of their lives as Americans, students, athletes, academics and practicing Muslims. But the reality for one woman in the audience was much different. She could not get passed the fact that the more liberal families where in the same film and “next to” the conservative families that in her eyes where the only true Muslims.

That was incredibly hard for me to hear, just on a human level, because I know that those families would strongly disagree. What was this woman’s reality to openly express that concern? Was it pure ignorance? I think not, she’s a convert. Was it arrogance?

I can tell you what my reality was: I was standing in a mosque, un-chaperoned as the only non-Muslim and very keenly aware of those facts. I also felt badly equipped to argue my point as I was in a house of worship.

Where do the experiences of two individuals cross and where do we “see” the same thing differently? Who am I to determine what my subject’s reality is? What I see as wrong another person sees as absolute right. Is this just a different opinion, or is one of us lying?

Not screening in a Theatre? No problem…

We are at a stage in the distribution of Abraham’s Children were we hold grass-roots semi-theatrical screenings. What that means is we go to non-traditional venues, like school auditoriums and class rooms, mosques, meeting halls and living rooms to show the film. Last weekend I had the good fortune to show Abraham’s Children twice myself. Once at a high school auditorium and once in a 1-12K private school whose auditorium also functions as a prayer room.

Early on, Caitlin Boyle of Film Sprout had warned a bunch of us filmmakers at her (awesome) workshop on grass roots distribution outreach for social change documentaries, to let go of having the film screened in a ‘perfect’ setting. I took that to mean, that the film might be shown in 4:3 format rather than the intended 16:9 (widescreen) or that the sound was not going to be perfect, etc. I also assumed that I would not be there to have to witness it.

SO on Friday and Saturday I made sure we had it all set up perfectly – right aspect ratio, sound as balanced as possible with the sound system available, room darkened, temperature right, etc. Friday: perfect! Saturday? Not so. For reasons beyond my control it was decided stop the film after it was only about 80% done. Whaat?

Reason being, they had simply run out of time and needed the room for something else. I was dumb folded. Why invite me to attend? Why go through the trouble of holding a screening of a film whose length is known? Why schedule a speech and Q&A session with the director? The Q&A turned into a discussion in the hallway with a few interested parties and I was back at my car before I knew it. It was a bizarre experience and something tells me: not the last.

Moral of the story: you can only control so much and then you have to let go. You where right, Caitlin (and Mom).

All I can say: donate $50, get the DVD shipped to your home and FINISH watching it!

Screening Photos - Abraham's Children Premiere

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see (nearly) all the kids and their families in the same place and have them all meet and then have them up on stage with the crew! Thank you for all that came to the Premiere of Abraham's Children at the New World High School in the Bronx! It was a trek for those not from the hood, but I hope it was worth it.

And please, don't be shy ACT! and donate to get this film into classrooms! Thank you.

Photos are courtesy of Bob Cowin and Marc Seago.

Yasmine, Susan, Isma, Teresa, Claudia, Terry, Marc, Saraj, Tariq, Kasem & Ahmed

Terry, Claudia, Saraj, Tariq, Kasem, Ahmed, Haleema, Anam, Dareen, Nina















Yasmine with Teresa Pereira and Sister Susan

Ahmed and Saraj

My friend and supporter, Betsy holding up a donation envelope.

Visibility

When I go out biking I tend to wear bright clothing so I’m easily visible in traffic. Today I go out into Central Park for my lunch ride in my favorite screaming yellow fluorescent top. On my way out of the park I’m horsing around at a red light and loose my balance and can’t clip out in time from my pedals and I hit the pavement like a potato sack. I’m intact, only slightly bruised ego. However, as I’m dressed in bright fluorescent yellow, EVERYBODY in the four-way intersection takes note of my fall. Everybody it seems stares at me as I pick myself up and try to look concerned for my bike and not my elbow – I don’t dare make sure I don’t have a scraped elbow until two blocks up the road.

Visibility is a great thing – if you want it.

It got me thinking about a company’s visibility which of course ties in with their economic well-being and I got a new found appreciation for the work of PR firms. How do you spin the fall? Negative PR or no PR at all would spread the word that "Nina has lost her Mojo and fell with her bike, like a beginner at a red light". With good PR we could let word out that "Nina is developing this amazing new fall-proof clothing line for a high end cycling gear retailer and wanted to test the merchandise personally". See? Cool, no?

So: if you saw me fall at the red light with feet still clipped into the pedals (it’s super awkward when that happens, let me tell you), please assume that it was for the good of some kind of ultra cool and rad ‘research’.

What we share and what we don’t

A few months back I read this article in the New York Times science section by John Tierney and marked it because I thought it very interesting. When the topic of viral video distribution came up in our Think Tank “Quo F Vadis” that my friend Wilder and I started, about the future of the film industry on the internet, I had to go back and dig it out.

When it comes to newspaper articles, it seems that the ‘awesome’ factor out ways the ‘cool’ factor and that the stronger the emotions the more the article will be shared – interestingly enough in the newspaper world longer articles did better than shorter ones and I think with visual content we see the reverse. “Short, shorter, shortest” is the recipe for a viral hit.

I think where an article might have an advantage over a video is that it’s “scan-able”; a video is a linear affair. I also think that a forwarded article has a notion of “look how cool AND smart I am by forwarding you this awesome intellectual article about optics of deer vision” (no kidding – read the article). Whereas a video sub-text would be “look how hip and cool I am” OR “how outraged I am by this injustice”. No wonder Mashable has near daily list of top YouTube hits. This Sunday: 10 best wedding dance videos. Tomorrow: (educated guess) 10 funniest dog tricks.

Where does that leave us, content providers? Are we all decimated to 2 minute one-offs or webisodes? How will long format content be consumed in the future? Who will pay for it; consumers, aggregators, advertisers?

Have you watched yourself lately watch content on line? How long is tour attention span, when do you decide to commit or skip to the next video or task? What are you willing to pay for and what do you expect to be free?

Tell me…

One Educator = $1

We are launching the "ONE EDUCATOR = $1" Campaign!

We are raising funds to help us distribute Abraham's Children to educators and get the film into as many American classrooms as possible. Act! and help us achieve our goals. $1 pays for a postcard to an educator and we are sending out over 3,000 cards. Share, educate and contribute!

Donating is easy. Go to our "Donate" page. One dollar, hundred dollars, what ever you can give. Get a DVD copy of Abraham's Children, a "thank you" credit on our website, a poster and we have other cool thank you gifts. Check it out.

What is your message?

"When does the wisdom of crowds give way to the meanness of mobs?" http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/science/12tier.html.

Interesting article, but really what caught my eye was the first sentence. As I spend quite a bit of time with social networks, updating the Abraham’s Children website and blogging I sometimes feel like I’m losing sight of what I should do.

What should I do? These days, it’s getting a film out into the world.

Am I relying on the wisdom of crowds, or am I delivering myself to the madness of crowds? And where does “madness” start?

I’m building a brand and getting a message out – does that scream cliché or what? It would be easiest so say: “watch my film, its awesome”. That’s like Pepsi saying “drink Pepsi, its good”. That’s not a brand, not a message, not a life style, nothing exciting and why should you bother? There are millions of films out there and roughly 6,000 documentaries alone are produced in the US alone each year. Gotta do better than that.

What I learned in the last few months is nothing new but I never had a chance to put it into action with ONE PRODUCT (or service) in hand. Having only one product, my film, I had no choice but to concentrate on IT – obviously.

My first instinct was to create more product. As making another film is not practical I started thinking about merchandising. How do you merchandise a documentary about Muslim children? How do I pay for that? What is the risk of money spent upfront versus potential income? It didn't seem worth the risk, so I ditched that idea.

Long story and many detours later I (re)-learned this: Focus: one message, one goal, one product. If you manage to get that one message over right; minds open, opportunities arise and people HEAR you. Once you’re there – you can go back (gingerly) to being your enthusiastic supporter of your own film with ideas to boot.

Once you have your message and your product all primped and ready – then you can unleash the crowds – because now you know where you are going and what your vehicle is. You still will possibly lose yourself in one mad crowd or the other – be it virtual, real or imagined. But at least your message is always the same and your product has integrity.

With your message straight you also have a better gauge when you are being taken over by the crowd(s). How many hours are you spending on Twitter, Facebook and your blog, when you could be making very targeted phone calls?

Run a test by announcing something that requires feedback, a sign up, anything where your 'crowds' need to act. Do they act? That only works if your message is on target. Otherwise your contaminating your social media 'trials'.

So, either you change your message to fit your crowd or you change your crowd to fit your message... and sometimes you just bang your head against the wall - I did.
What is your message? What is your goal? What is the integrity of your product?

For Abraham’s Children?
→ Abraham’s Children bridges the gap between the Muslim world and the West.

→ Our goal is to get Abraham’s Children into as many classrooms as possible in America.

→ Abraham’s Children is beautifully produced, wholesome and its modular set up is ideal for a learning environment.

The Difference Between Recipe and Restaurant

A thought brought forward by Chris Brogan (link) on his daily blog on social media and business. I might use that the next time I have one of those “why does it cost so much to make a film” discussions. It’s a great analogy for a bit of a foodie.

KFC vs. Nobu, anybody?

Talking of which, the new DOUBLE DOWN? What was KFC thinking? Two deep fried chicken pieces with bacon and cheese and don’t forget, the sauce, Colonel’s sauce, oh sure. “Only” 540 calories, and more sodium than the dead sea.

Did anybody at that company listen to Michelle Obama, or watch “Supersize Me”, or “Food, Inc.” or “King Corn”, or “What’s on your Plate”….. It’s like a spit in the face of everybody who’s trying to get America off its obesity ride. It’s not the fact that the Double Down has “only” 540 calories – it’s about the message it sends and it’s all totally wrong – as far as I’m concerned.

When you know too much

Innocence IS bliss. But I knew that already, we all do. Starting a business or a family, shooting a film, or getting involved with that community board: the “had I known” realization. But what about the second time around? What do we hope to do better, different, more efficient, or with more compassion? Or is the first time so daunting that we decide: never again.

I remember my dear brilliant friend in Ireland who is also a filmmaker ask me if I was ready to spend the next two years of my life with my (first) documentary and I bravely said ‘yes’. The conversation in my head was a bit different. That was more along the lines of “yes, BUT…. won’t be full time, have clients, won’t take that long, etc.”

HA! Had I known! But now I DO KNOW. What does that mean for the next project? NEXT PROJECT? Are you kidding me? You’re still knee-deep in this one. Yeah, but this is a chance to get it right this time. Set it up differently from the get go, make sure you align yourself even better with people who do what you don’t do well brilliantly, allocate the budget differently and most of all: PATIENCE. Where does that leave the gut feeling and instincts though? To me, those two are paramount.

So here I am, trying to figure out not only a new awesome topic, angle and story, and something to be passionate about, BUT something where I can align myself NOW with the right people, groups, organizations and causes for three years from now when the film is done. Yikes. But you know me, I have some stuff cooking – I’m just afraid to serve it – pardon the metaphor – the ramifications are now clear beyond finishing the film – that was the easy part, remember. I also have to make sure to get the film OUT into the world. Will the second time be easier, or will it be harder? We shall find out.

Abraham's Children Magazine Review

Elan The Magazine, posted a review of Abraham's Children, by Imran Khan. In anticipation of this article I've started reading Elan and find it totally entertaining, amusing and often thought provoking, although I couldn't be further from their target audience - or at least: I'm definitely neither in the age-group nor in the cultural-religious group their targeting, but it crosses over beautifully. Below their mission statement and I would put a very big emphasis on "sarcastic" and actually call it irreverent. Give it a try.


elanthemag.com is a daily, online publication on global Muslim youth culture. Formerly known in print form as elan Magazine, elan offers witty, engaging, thought-provoking and sometimes sarcastic takes on the issues that matter to our fellow young, hip Muslims. In addition to daily commentary from our bloggers on topics ranging from entertainment to politics, elan includes feature articles from prominent voices within our community, round table discussions by young Muslim leaders on hot topics, photo-essays, videos, profiles, special sections like “WTFatwa” and “Policy Shift,” and much more.

A Screening

Abraham's Children will have it's first screening at the LITTLE THEATRE at St. John's University in Queens on Thursday, April 8th, 2010 at 6:00 PM. Terry Katz, our editor, who is also an Adjunct Professor at SJU made the screening possible. Terry, Nina and Teresa Pereira, our associate producer will be there for sure and after the screening there will be a discussion round.

For those of you who cannot make it out to Queens - hold you horses - we will be announcing a day of screenings (yes, plural) in Manhattan soon!

The Conversation

Yesterday the Conversation happened. That is, THE CONVERSATION on Social Media, Digital Distribution and the Future of Film (Tweet: #convoNYC) at Columbia University in Manhattan.
Organizers, Scott Kirsner (who wrote one of my all time favorite books: Fans, Friends and Followers), Tiffany Shlain and Lance Weiler and http://www.workbookproject.com/) put together a full day of panels and beak out meetings that kept me focused for 9 hours straight. Really good stuff if you are an independent filmmaker and especially if you are in DIY distro mode with a documentary.

We are at a cross roads of our industry, not only as independent filmmakers but also as producers and conent-providers at large. The web, new technology and new ways of interaction with content of any kind, audience participation, instant access paired with very limited time resources are completely, totally and irrevocably changing how we consume media, how we engage in politics, social lives and just pretty much everything else. The generational divide of participants and non-participants is bigger than ever and has little to do with age, and everything to do with willingness to engage and sadly for many with insufficient access to computers and the internet.

There were so many things yesterday that were of micro interest to an independent filmmaker, but the bigger picture was ever present in the back (and the front) of the room. My head is still spinning with all the awesome possibilities that not necessarily cost much in terms of technology or bells and whistles, but do tend to take a huge amount of engagement, sic. time, sic. labor and sic. cost.

After all that, my two favorites take-aways from the day had nothing to do with being at the cutting edge in terms of knowledge or technical savvy, but just two quotes that would have been equally as pertinent 20 years ago, but do take a whole new meaning in today's environment.

The first, attributed to one of the organizers of this amazing event, Tiffany Shlane - more precisely her father: "If you're not living on the edge you're taking up too much space." And the other, uttered as a throw away sentence summing up the panel he participated in by Richard Lorber: "Everything is possible and nothing is working". Imight ad a resounding "YET" to the last quote. On on we plod....

Mel Berkowitz Presents

Watch the show. Cable access in Manhattan, Thursday, April 1st at 10:30 AM on channel 67 (TWC) or on http://www.mnn.org/ (channel 4, culture).

Terry Katz (editor) and Nina talking about Abraham’s Children with host Mel Berkowitz for an our(!)…. some never seen before footage (unless you’re one of the few lucky with a copy of the film).

People

In filming Abraham’s Children and working in film production for over 20 years I met many wonderful people from different cultures, religions, socio-economic backgrounds, and genders – women, men and everything in-between or ‘aside of’.

I met women who cross-dress as drag kings and question their gender identities, families who lead very devout religious lives and teach their children very diligently and carefully about their traditions and beliefs. I’ve met staunch conservatives, ultra-ultra liberals and some very confused people.

Do I agree with their life styles or believe systems. Some yes, some no. Some I can “see where they come from”, others “I don’t get it”, but I don’t think it’s my place to judge them or anybody else, which doesn’t mean I won’t engage in a discussion to make my opinion known and see if they would consider a change.

But these are people I know one-on-one and I’ve laughed and shared meals with them and they ALL are real people with real-life issues and maybe the only thing we agree on is that the Con Edison bill is really way out of control. And we can take it from there, maybe we find out fast that we don’t agree on much more, but you’d be surprised to find where there is common ground in the most unlikely situations.

More thoughts on respectful co-resistance

I watched a film last night called “Encounter Point” by Ronit Avni and the About Just Vision organization. http://www.encounterpoint.com/who/index.php. I think the film picks up on the idea I put forward in an earlier post about co-resistance rather than co-existence. Some commenters to this earlier post had asked me if I had personal experience. And the answer to that is: yes. But not as you might imagine in a political sense or even in a public setting.

If I think of having an example of an experience with a co-existence situation that really runs emotionally deep I think we ALL answer yes to this question. Just think of ongoing discussions on a variety of topics you might have with a spouse, sibling or parent. I have a parent with whom I do not agree on many political, environmental and lifestyle issues. Do I love him any less? Of course not; I think the world of him and I know it’s mutual; we both come from a safe place. So, we engage in a respectful co-existence although we will never agree on many issues we both feel very strongly about.
When it comes to experience of respectful co-resistance it’s a bit harder and I think it’s a very fine line to walk between resistance and existence. I think where the difference is to be made (and this is only my very personal observation) is on the ‘love’ factor. Respecting someone does not mean loving them, co-resistance doesn’t mean agreeing with someone on principal, but agreeing mutually on the fact that you are not going to agree on one or several or any topics, BUT that you are respectfully disagreeing. Now you have ONE COMMON GROUND – one seed planted. Each relationship will take it from there to a different place, but it’s a beginning. Baby steps, no?

Film Festivals

I really, really have not wanted to write this post, but it's time.

As I think you all know by now - I'm new to film and documentary distribution game. Making the film - which at first I thought would be the challenge, was actually the easy part. Distribution is the challenge - I spare you the unprintable thoughts I have about it.

So: what I really want to say is this: film festivals suck. So, there, I said it. Oh, no - any chances of getting into one: down the drain... Actually I should say: film festival submissions suck.  If festivals actually suck I don't know because I've never been at one (not as filmmaker at leat). Envious? Definitely!

The real question here of course is: "what is wrong with Abraham's Children"? And from my ever so slightly slanted point of view I would say: "absolutely NOTHING". My theory, why a timely, beautifully produced film with awesome talent does not get into Film Festivals is: no sex, drugs and rock'n roll. Not a sliver of it.

Abraham's Children is littered with fun, well spoken and behaving children that happen to be Americans and happen to be Muslim. Gosh: no terrorist, not even alcohol, teen pregnancy, drugs - just normal kids. It's a bore, I know.

But if you watch the film you might actually learn something about Islam you didn't know (unless of course you're Muslim, but then you’re just checking out the competition),  and you will definitely fall in love with one of the kids if not all of them, you will laugh and you will maybe even see some of yourself in one of them and be amazed at the diversity these kids bring to the screen. So give it a try.

Support the film, buy the DVD, and tell your friends on FB, Twitter and all other social networks I'm oblivious to, about it. Host a screening and get the word out that there is this little film that shows a slice of live of Muslims in America from a normal, every-day perspective. Can you do that?

Respectful Co-RESISTANCE vs. Co-EXISTENCE

Foundation for Interreligious Diplomacy, http://www.fidweb.org/ is an not-for profit organization that promotes an understanding between different religious views, or any believe system really, through respectful recognition of the fact that we don't have to AGREE with one another, but that we can learn to trust each other and come from a place of respect and integrity and agree to DISAGREE, hence co-resistance rather than co-existence. Interesting concept and one worth a ton of thought.  

Think of someone in your immediate world you have come to learn to disagree with on a topic important to you, but you still love them and trust them you just have become accustomed to the fact, that there is this topic you can only agree to disagree on....   now expand that to conflicts around the world that seem irreparable.  If the Israel-Palestine conflict could never be solved, but a truce could be reached by agreeing to totally disagree...

"Abraham's Children" Director's Notes

I believe in the power of storytelling to change minds and pre-conceived notions and to grow an understanding of the world around us.

The topic of Islam and Muslims in America is fraught with emotions, fueled by the post 9/11 media frenzy and the negative stereotyping of Muslims, both in the news and in entertainment in general. In contrast, Abraham’s Children gives a non judgmental, apolitical presentation of real stories of Muslim children in America.

When I set out in the fall of 2007 to learn about the lives of Muslim children in America, I knew almost nothing about Islam, whether in America, in the world over, or my own backyard in Central Harlem. I also had little idea of what it meant to grow up in America. I was born and raised in Switzerland and didn’t come to this country until I was in college.

What I did understand was the feeling of displacement, which I felt very much myself, even as a Western-European-Christian with a reasonable command of English transplanted to New York. How much more intense must it be for an adolescent coming to America, like Kasem, with an Eastern-Yemeni-Islamic upbringing.

I also knew that Muslims got the short end of the stick in the media, especially after 9/11. I was curious to find out why Muslims were not speaking up. Where were the leaders and the Muslims that fought the injustice and ignorance about their religion, culture and way of life?
Many of these questions are still unanswered. I had to learn that one documentary can harbor only so many angles and stories, but in the end Abraham’s Children became a study on Islam in America from a youth’s point of view.

I feel very passionate and protective of the kids in Abraham’s Children and I think it comes through in the film. All the families were incredibly courageous to let us into their lives. We are extremely appreciative of the way they spoke to use, gave us access to their homes, schools, and workplaces and also graciously hosted us during the shoot days. This film represents a true collaborative effort from production, to crew and talent.

I discovered that this generation of Muslim-Americans growing up in a post 9/11 era are the future leaders and spokespersons of Islam in America. I very much look forward to seeing what they will be up to in years to come.

NEW Fundraising tool for an educational version of "Abraham's Children"

We are fundraising for an educational version of Abraham's Children.  March 1st we are launching our website anew.  This will allow us total flexibilty with content and we are adding a few new cool features, like a donation page (hint!) and a page with downloadable PDF's for press kits, viewer guide, photos and a "how to host a fundraiser" document (hint!).  We also signed up with IndieGoGo for a fundraising page (hint, hint).  It's a very cool website and an awesome tool.  Check it out; comments are welcome.

What I learned - the abstract stuff continued...

This is something I seem to have to learn over and over again.  I had a teacher once tell me: "if it smells fishy and looks fishy, it is fishy".   Whenever I dismiss my gut feeling I'm in trouble.  Instinct is a fine thing, but you also need to have the guts to follow it.  Right! 

Remember that when making those quick production and slow post production and glacial distribution decisions: instinct and courage.

New Hampshire - x-country skiing

While DC is drowning in snow they don't want, Jackson, NH had close to none and still they managed to very dilligently and lovingly groom fantastic x-country trails.  My friend and I had ample kilometer's of trails to "kill" ourselves on for three days AND there where some awesome restaurants at night... winning combo.

What I learned - distribution, part 2

In the book "Think Outside the Box Office" by John Reiss is an entire section I have been ignoring: "Sanity and the Future".  The first chapter is:  "Keeping Sane".   Last night I took that chapter to bed with me and as I read it I must have had a hundred "AHA" moments.    As in: "Wow, I'm not the only one who feels like she's working into a black abyss of self-distribution" - it was like reading confessions of a "DIY-Distributor's Anonymous" meeting. - DIYDA.

The book talks about other things the fact that creative talent hates to deal with the business side of things, but that's not even it for me.  I'm a producer and I run small business and I actually very much enjoy the business side of things, but what drives me absolutely NUTS is the fact that everything moves at a glacial (as in when glaciers didn't melt yet) pace.   In production decisions are made fast and you get bids, crews, equipment, answers, etc. immediately.    Now everything feels like pulling teeth - and very slowly so.  Consultant Peter Broderick gave me one good piece of advice:  don't rush anything, take your time to decide what to do....  great advice, especially for a producer, but more than not it feels like I don't have a choice either. 

I think a very obvious piece of advice and one I wish I would have gotten from the get go would be: your film is not like any other film and what worked for others will not necessarily work for you - sounds really straight forward, no?  Yes, and no.  There are SO MANY moving variables.  Every decision you make has ramifications for other venues of distribution and some of them demand a very strict sequence of distribution, lest you shoot yourself in the foot and have your world premiere inadvertently with a small screening in a library and the big film festival you've been dreaming about will now no longer consider your film.  

I would say, first and foremost:  learn who likes your film; show your film:  who loves your film, who responds to your film - how do different groups react? Are there common denominators with groups of people, e.g. educators, women, religious groups, professionals? LISTEN....

Rock My Boat

I attended a book event this week.   My friend Salman Ahmad of Junoon fame has come out with his book, "Rock & Roll Jihad" (at Amazon) and he talked about the book and the songs that inspired his live (and the writing of the book).  As I was sitting there, in the last row, with my friend who had his nose deep in his (albeit new) touch screen PDA (at least not an iPhone) and me clutching my BlackBerry - lest I let go and not feel it vibrate when that next (junk) e-mail comes in. It struck me how Salman kept talking about defining moments in his life and how they changed him, touched him, how his boat was rocked. The next morning on an ice cold stroll through Central Park it hit me that in order to have your boat rocked you need to maybe NOT be holding on to your PDA, have your nose in a website and be staring at a screen when interacting with your friends. Maybe the strike misses you if you don't let it find you and how can you let it 'in' if you're buried in your lives’ details - electronic or other.


When was the last time your boat was rocked? What rocked it? What changed?
Tell me once you’re done with that tweet.

What I learned - distribution, part 1

Have you heard about the "new hybrid distribution model" for films?  I hear you cry.  A quick tutorial from my beginners POV:  in the olden days (like 12 months ago, ok, maybe 24 months), it seems that you finished a film, put it out to distribution companies hoping that someone would sign you.  And either you signed and then had THEM do all the work FOR YOU - for a (smallish) cut of the profits or you went into the corner without a distribution deal and cried.   The pros to this approach:  you where done with your film. The con: you where done with your film.  So far so good.

Now, if you have a narrative film I think that's still a pretty good model, since they tend to need a theatrical or TV release.   However if you have a documentary with a social message, then maybe you want to make sure it gets seen by the right people - those who care about your topic, or even better, those who don't - YET. Are you with me?

A few years back and with the help of the interweb, sorry I mean the internet, artists, filmmakers, producers and the like where able to reach their fans, friends and followers directly.  And all of a sudden giving away all your rights to ONE company seemed insane.  Add to that a lousy economy and a hugely risk adverse studio and distribution community and BINGO - the new hybrid distribution model.  DIY distribution (do-it-yourself - for those of you who are acronym-challenged - me included).

Today, thanks to the internet and social networking you can do it all yourself.  That is:  IF: you have the upfront money, never need to sleep, have no family and love abuse.

For now I leave you with two books that are an absolute must read if you are self-distributing or considering it:

For ANYTHING self-distributed:  "Fans, Friends & Followers", by Scott Kirshner - very inspiring and informative.

If you are self-distributing a film:  "Think Outside the Box Office", by Jon Reiss - very detailed and as far I can tell, timely.

Just for fun - Samaden, Engadin Valley, Switzerland

Rainy, yucky days like today I like to remind myself where I'm from and how lucky I am to have both worlds - fantastic, fast and insane New York and beautiful, serene and quiet Engadine.  This is December 2009.

What I learned - the abstract stuff

What is most important? Other than a budget?

Time: lots a time, to think, read, to 'let it rest', to 'talk it out', let it simmer and tweak it. Or maybe: access. I always hear that access is the single most important thing in doc film making - an unique story and access to that story - personally I would also add relevance to that list. In my experience I would say "access" can be replaced with "stubborn perseverance". It worked in this case. Oh, and a whole truck load of luck.

A really thick skin (best a fur) is essential too -especially after you've finished the darn thing and put it out into the world. There is fine line between good advice and some one's opinion. One you accept and make changes the other you listen to (agreed or not) but leave it at that.

What I learned - 1

As we (that's mostly me and my 250 DVD's of Abraham's Children on the shelve behind me) wait for the film fesetival circuit to kick in, it's hard to think of anything intelligent to blog about that also has relevance to this blog.

So I figured I could start with an inventory of what I learned in the past two years, producing and directing Abraham's Children and share some insight in pre-production, production and post production of a doc feature. In no particular order.

Managing all that interesting stuff...

http://alltop.com/ - a magazine rack for all your favorite blogs and websites.... not that I'll have the time to follow them all - and curling up on a Sunday evening on the sofa with a laptop is not my idea of cosy. Call me old fashioned, but I like paper in hand.

Happy New Year and New Mischief for 2010

Topic: American Muslim Leadership. Who speaks up and advocates or American Muslims? Muslims NEED a voice - who is this voice, where is this voice and what does it say?