As Islamaphobia is on the rise in America and mass immigrants are left wandering due to the Arab Spring, the world is at critical juncture: we must either unite based on our shared struggle, or face deep division based on our differences. Join Projectfresh, in partnership with Women’s Voices Now, for an evening of films whose goal it is to strip back the media veneer and cultivate a dialogue that reveals the true life conflicts between religion and politics; tradition and modernity.

Following the short documentary films, whose topics range from personal identity, sexuality, and the fight for individual rights, we will delve into a panel discussion with one of the film’s directors and an international media expert on this current tension and integration of cultures and ideals.

Stay for rooftop drinks afterward…

* This is an all ages event | Proceeds will be going to WVN *

More information & RSVP here…

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Moderator:

Suzie Abdou / Director of Global Programs at Women’s Voices Now

Guest speakers include:

Maha Awad / Broadcast Journalist & TV Producer

Alysse Stepanian / Director of Roghieh

Victoria Fine / Director of Advancement & Outreach for Tiziano Project and Journalist & Editor for the Huffington Post Impact

Films Include:

1700% Project, USA

A poet, dancer, angel and prisoner converge with community to intervene against racial profiling and hate crimes. Narratives collide with music, poetry and politics to create a complex and layered experience. A collaboration between artist Anida Yoeu Ali and filmmaker Masahiro Sugano. Featured portraits represent real American Muslims in Chicago. All unite as people who refuse to end in violence.

The Unveiled, Qatar

My partner Shereena and I did this project about the controversy of wearing the veil in Muslim communities. The veil is the covering of the complete body with the exception to the eyes. Some Muslims believe that women are required to wear it in Islam whereas other believe that it is a choice and not a requirement in Islam. This ambiguity is a result of different interpretations of a Quran verse which is about women covering their bodies. This was a project for Northwestern University in Qatar in my sophomore year.

Francaise Langue Etrangere, France

In a ‘French for foreigners’ course, a heated debate arises between two Muslim women over the right to wear a veil during class.

Roghieh, USA

Iranian born Alysse Stepanian moved to the US shortly after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. This video is based on her early dream journal. “Roghieh” paints a surreal picture of the early stages of the Iranian Revolution, when it empowered the underprivileged, which had a significant role in the overthrow of an elitist regime. A cleaning lady’s broom becomes a weapon symbolizing a newfound strength. She jumps into the revolution from the wall-less bedroom of a young girl caught in the middle of great social changes and role reversals.

Muslima Q, US

A young Muslim woman recounts her experience converting to Islam and coming out of the closet.

Is this Honor? Jordan

Shedding light on the definition of “Family Honor” and how this controversial issue affects the lives of people, especially women, within the Jordanian society.

Women Behind the Wheel, Iraq

Driving is a relatively new liberty for women in Erbil. But many still face prejudices by men who believe they have no business being on the road.

Avant Propos, Tunisia

Avant Propos is a dialogue between two territories: the one of dreams and the one of real life, of fiction and of documentary. Through interviews with Tunisian women of different backgrounds, the film explores issues of identity and representation, of tradition and modernity, in order to build bridges between the Western countries and the Arab-Islamic world.

A Land Called Paradise, USA

In December 2007, over 2,000 Muslim Americans were asked what they would like to say to the world. This is what they said.

The WVN Mission & Film Festival Purpose:

The Women’s Voices Now (WVN) create platforms from which filmmakers and their subjects connect with an international audience of activists, philanthropists, scholars and policy-makers. WVN works to empower women and give voice to the struggle for civil, economic, and political rights. They are creating an on-line platform where underrepresented women can be heard by an international audience, women can communicate with each other, and the dialogue on women’s rights can be elevated by a multitude of views from diverse national, economic, ethnic and religious backgrounds.  

WVN launched its creative project Women’s Voices from the Muslim World: A Short-Film Festival in 2010 and brought it to an online international audience of 173 countries in 2011. The films included in the July 13th event are a part of that project. The medium of film, specifically short-film available on the Internet, is a powerful tool that can inspire social movements and support the global struggle for gender equality. It allows for the broadest possible reach into the most remote areas of the world. They are connecting people around the world to women with whom they ordinarily would not have contact, while the women facing the issues use the Festival to make their voices heard directly by an international audience. The festival platform increases awareness, empowerment, and connectivity within their communities.

SPEAKER BIOS

Suzie Abdou / Director of Global Programs at Women’s Voices Now

Suzie is a policy analyst in the government sector. She holds a Masters degree in International Relations from the University of California Riverside. Her research focused on the role of Coptic women in the early Egyptian feminist movement. She has spoken on her research at conferences domestically and internationally. Her interests are in human rights, women’s rights, religious freedom and social movements. She has traveled extensively through out the Middle East region and lived in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Before joining Women’s Voices Now, she worked in the entertainment industry and was the publicist for the Arab Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Maha Awad / Broadcast Journalist & TV Producer

Maha Awad is an Egyptian Palestinian American broadcast journalist—a multicultural dynamic TV host and producer with over 14 years experience in front of and behind the camera in culturally diverse environments. She built her name through a unique blend of on-camera personality and proven production business savvy, in addition to an extensive knowledge of the Middle East entertainment industry. (Full bio here…)

Alysse Stepanian / Director of Roghieh

Alysse Stepanian is a multimedia and cross-disciplinary artist. Her videos, paintings, installations, and performances have been presented internationally, in nearly 150 shows in 22 countries. Stepanian is the creator and curator of Manipulated Image video screenings based in the US. For July 7, 2011 she curated a one night Kamikaze show of video art, paintings and photography at PØST in Los Angeles. For CologneOFF 2011 she curated videos by 9 Iranian artists which will travel the globe, and has made stops at the Arad Art Museum in Romania, Szczecin/Poland, and Galleria Rajatilla in Tampere/Finland. Most recent screenings of Stepanian’s videos include: Contemporary Museum in Baltimore, Maryland; Anthology Film Archives, New York City; Vasteras Konstmuseum, Sweden; Gaza International Festival For Video Art; Teatro Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Arte Cubano in Havana. Beijing’s City Weekend Magazine listed “Don’t be afraid, be ready”, her 2006 multimedia installation in China, as number one of the top 5 exhibits.

Victoria Fine / Director of Advancement & Outreach for Tiziano Project and Journalist & Editor for the Huffington Post Impact

Victoria Fine is a new media journalist and an editor for Huffington Post Impact. Her work has been featured both in the U.S. and abroad, including the Chicago Tribune, AOL.com, and L’Officiel, a fashion magazine based in Paris. She is also the managing editor of Modern Overland, a travel guidebook series dedicated to providing tech savvy travelers the information they need to make global exploration socially sustainable and ecofriendly. Fine has authored two books, including “Fundamental Talent,” a handbook on top-level management succession. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and holds a master’s degree in new media storytelling.