NY Event: 4/17 "Leisure Time" @ Pioneer + 4/20 South Asian Underground Film Fest @ NYU

1. 4/17, 6:30pm "LEISURE TIME" - 3rd i NY & Alwan for the Arts
Collaborative Monthly Screening Series @ Pioneer Theater

2. 4/20 - 22: South Asian Underground Film Festival @ NYU. Featuring
live appearances by Hanif Kureishi, Steve Savale of Asian Dub
Foundation, and Vivek Bald of MUTINY!. FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
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1. 3rd i NY and Alwan for the Arts Collaborative Monthly Film & Video
Series presents encore presentation of Egyptian box-office smash indie
feature film "Leisure Time"

LEISURE TIME
(Mohamed Mostafa/ Egypt / 134 mins / 35 mm / Arabic with English subtitles

Two Boots Pioneer Theater Tues, April 17th @ 6:30pm
155 East 3rd Street (at Avenue A)
Subway: F to 2nd Ave; 6 to Bleecker

Tickets: $10 Adults / $6.50 Pioneer Members
Followed by FREE PIZZA & BEER/SODA at the Den of Cin

About the Film
Leisure Time was the renegade box-office hit this summer in Cairo.
This low-budget film breaks radically with prevailing trends: a
docu-fiction with a large cast of excellent actors, none famous or
even known. Leisure Time delves in the world of teen-agers from within
and gives them unprecedented voice; we follow Ahmed, Hazem, Amr, and
others, as they ask, "What to do?" The film does not attempt to answer
the question nor dwell on its implications. It simply takes us to an
adolescent world scripted from the inside. The film's emphasis on real
life rather than fiction was the source of its popular success. The
film also marks the return of once retired veteran producer Hussein Qalla.

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2. The Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University, in
association with 3rdi NY, presents:

South Asian Underground Film Festival
EMERGENCES AND EMERGENCIES: NEW SOUTH ASIAN FILM-MAKING FROM BRITAIN

Curated by Sukhdev Sandhu, Assistant Professor of English and A/P/A
Studies at NYU

Featuring: "My Son the Fanatic", "Mutiny: Asians Storm British Music",
"India Calling","The Road to Guantanamo", "Bradford Riots", "Otolith",
"England Expects" and more...

Friday-Sunday - April 20-22
Cantor Film Center
36 E. 8th St. @ University Pl.
Subway: A, C, E, B, D, F, V to West 4th ST.
N, R, W to 8th St., 6 to Astor Place

FREE, First come/first serve. Doors open 15 minutes before screening.
Visit www.apa.nyu.edu for more information.

FRIDAY, APRIL 20
7pm-10pm in Theater 200
"My Son The Fanatic"
Kick-off screening
Featuring a Q&A with Hanif Kureishi
Join Hanif Kureishi, internationally-renowned author (THE BUDDHA OF
SURBURBIA), Oscar-nominated screenwriter (MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDERETTE),
and playwright for a special screening of this prescient 1997 drama.
Om Puri stars as a Pakistani taxi driver who enters into a passionate
relationship with a Northern prostitute much to the disgust of his
increasingly fundamentalist son.
*Screening Co-Sponsored by New York University's Tisch School of the
Arts, The Maurice Kanbar Institute, The Directors Series*

SATURDAY, APRIL 21
2pm-10pm in Theater 101
2pm - "Bradford Riots" (2006, dir. Neil Biswas) and "Young, Angry and
Muslim" (2005, dir. Julian Hendy)
Discussion with Steve Savale from Asian Dub Foundation

5pm - "The Road To Guantanamo" (2004, dir. Michael Winterbottom)

8pm - "A Love Supreme" (2001, dir. Nilesh Patel) and "The Warrior"
(2001, dir. Asif Kapadia)

SUNDAY, APRIL 22
2pm-10pm in Theater 101
2pm - "India Calling" (2002, dir. Sonali Fernando) and "Otolith"
(2003, dir. The Otolith Group)" (2003)

5pm - "England Expects" (2004, dir. Tony Smith)

8pm - 10pm
*Closing Night Screening*
"MUTINY: Asians Storm British Music" (2003, dir. Vivek Bald)
and "Skin Deep" (2001, dir. Yousaf Ali Khan)
Special post-screening discussion with Asian Dub Foundation's Steve
Savale and Mutiny Director Vivek Bald, moderated by reknowned music
journalist Vivien Goldman, author of "Exodus: The Making and Meaning
of Bob Marley and the Wailers Album of the Century"

Join the filmmakers and festival goers at the film festival Afterparty
to follow this screening at Leela Lounge, located at One West 3rd
Street at Broadway.

All seating is first come/first serve. Doors open 15 minutes before
screening. For more information, visit http://www.apa.nyu.edu

"Emergences and Emergencies" is co-sponsored by NYU's Tisch School of
the Arts, The Maurice Kanbar Institute, The Directors Series; NYU
Center for Media, Culture and History and Center for Media and
Religion, 3rd-I NY, Asian Cinevision, Imaginasian Theater, Leela Lounge.

ABOUT THE FILMS

A Love Supreme (2001, dir. Nilesh Patel), 9 min
Nilesh Patel's debut film is a beautifully shot and
multi-award-winning audio-visual essay on the preparation of samosas
by his mother. Influenced, unexpectedly, by sequences in Martin
Scorsese's Raging Bull, it makes the daily dishes cooked by Asian
mothers resemble exquisite art installations.

Bradford Riots (2006, dir. Neil Biswas), 75 min
The July 2001 riots in the Northern city of Bradford were the most
violent to hit the United kingdom in over two decades. 191 men, most
of them locally-born Pakistani Muslims, were jailed for a total of
more than 500 years. Neil Biswas's meticulously researched drama goes
beyond the tabloid headlines to present a fascinating portrait,
influenced visually by La Haine and The Battle of Algiers, and scored
by Asian Dub Foundation, of an immigrant community riven by religious
and generational tension. New York premiere.

England Expects (2004, dir. Tony Smith), 124 min
The New York premiere of this controversial and no-holds-barred drama
about a responsible family man, living in the shadow of London's
financial district, whose life falls apart after he develops a sexual
obsession with a trader at the investment bank where he works as a
security guard. His meltdown, of a ferocity that recalls both Taxi
Driver and the work of the late Alan Clarke, brings him into violent
conflict with local Bangladeshis. As powerful and incisive a post-9/11
film as has yet been made.

India Calling (2002, dir. Sonali Fernando), 50 min
The first and still the best documentary about the modern-day call
centre, this is a deliciously ironic portrait of a David Brett-style
Australian boss who has arrived in Delhi to effect a self-proclaimed
revolution in the working practices of twenty-something Indian
graduates. Acclaimed film-maker Fernando ensures that the black
comedy is leavened with a probing and deeply empathetic study of the
yearning, aspirational call agents themselves.
Mutiny: Asians Storm British Music (2003, dir. Vivek Bald), 77 min
Combining music documentary and social documentary, Mutiny charts the
meteoric rise of South Asian music in 1990s Britain, as well as the
decades of cultural cross-pollination and political struggle that led
up to that historic moment. Shot independently on digital video over
the course of seven years, Mutiny features Asian Dub Foundation, State
of Bengal, Talvin Singh, Fun^Da^Mental, DJ Ritu and a host of other
British musicians of Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi descent,
presenting these artists and their music with depth, intimacy, and
intensity. Rarely screened in New York since its completion in 2003,
this is a film not to be missed.

My Son the Fanatic (1998, dir. Udayan Prasad), 87 min
Hanif Kureishi adapted this remarkably prophetic film from a short
story he originally wrote for The New Yorker. Set in Bradford, it
centres on a Pakistani taxi driver (Om Puri) whose respect and love
for most things English - including a local prostitute (Rachel
Griffiths) - brings him into terrible conflict with his increasingly
fundamentalist son who regards his family's adopted northern English
city as irredeemably decadent. Movingly acted and expressionistically
filmed, this is an affecting romance rich in political and
psychological insights.

Otolith (2003, dir. The Otolith Group), 22 min
Influenced by the work of Chris Marker and the Black Audio Film
Collective, and with stunning sound design from the latter's Trevor
Matthison, Otolith is an eerie cinematic essay that doubles as a rare
example of post-colonial science fiction. Moving between the zero-
gravity astronaut-training centre at Star City and the two-million-
protestor-strong anti-war protests in London in early 2003, it's a
meditation on utopianism, Third World socialism and the nature of
colonialism's visual archive.

The Road To Guantanamo (2004, dir. Michael Winterbottom), 95 min
Winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival,
this is the true story of three British Muslims, subsequently known as
the 'Tipton Three', who traveled to Pakistan to attend a wedding,
only to end up being held for two years without charges in the
American military prison at Guantanamo Bay. Shot in Winterbottom's
characteristic part-dram, part-documentary style, it has been
described by the New York Times as a "film of staggering force".

Skin Deep (2001, dir. Yousaf Ali Khan), 13 min
Set in deprived, inner-city England during the 1970s, Skin Deep is a
brutal and haunting portrait of Romo, a half-English, half-Pakistani
teenager who tries to pass for white. Things come to a crisis one
night when his new-found skinhead friends tell him to attack another
Asian kid. This unforgettable exploration of Asian abjection won
Salford, Manchester-born Khan a nomination at the UK BAFTA awards in 2002.

The Warrior (2001, dir. Asif Kapadia), 82 min
Kapadia's debut feature is a ravishing Western in which the drama has
been relocated to the deserts of feudal Rajasthan. Irfan Khan plays
a bloodythirsty warlord's henchman who decides to lay down arms. In
consequence, his only son is killed. He finds himself travelling
deeper and deeper into a wilderness that is both geographic and
spiritual. Magisterial in pace and sweep, this fully deserves the
comparisons to Kurosawa and Leone that enthusiastic international
critics have been making since its release.

Young, Angry and Muslim (2005, dir. Julian Hendy), 48 min
In the wake of the London Underground bombings in July 2005, Navid
Akhtar, a British Pakistani Muslim, journeys across the country to
explore the tensions and alienation within his community and asks how
this has contributed to the terror attacks. As part of his
passionate and very personal documentary, Akhtar also returns to his
parents' Kashmiri village and agonises over whether to sell the land
he has inherited from his recently deceased father.

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About 3ri NY
3rd I New York's monthly film and music salon designed by local
filmmakers and experimental djs showcases the works of independent
filmmakers of South Asian descent and local djs, musicians and
electronica artists. Providing alternative forums for South Asian
filmmakers who often have few venues to showcase their work not only
increases their visibility, but also provides a social forum for peers
and audiences to participate in an ongoing discussion.

Islam and Innovation: Muslim Entrepreneurs Talk Business - 3/30

Please attend and spread the word! I'm moderating!

SHURUQ 2007

A Muslim American Mosaic: Celebrating Islam, Activism and Enterprise in America

www.shuruq.net

You are invited to a networking mingle with Muslim entrepreneurs to discuss their innovative ideas and inspiration from a faith-based perspective. Come learn how Muslim Americans are promoting enterprise in America. The event is free and open to the public.

Co-sponsored by the ICNYU Alumni Association and Americans for Informed Democracy.

Islam and Innovation:

Muslims Talk Business

Friday, March 30, 2007

7:00 PM

Kimmel Center, Room 802

New York University

60 Washington Square South,

New York NY 10012

Dinner and desserts will be served.

Entrepreneurs include:

Nabeel Kaukab

UBS, Associate Director

Moushumi Khan

Attorney, Law Offices of Moushumi M. Khan

Asma Shikoh

Visual artist

Omar Taha & Yasser Salem

S&T Group

Musa Syeed

Filmmaker

Sarah Musa

Fashion designer

Sajjad Chowdhury

Editor, Dinar Standard

Toufique Harun

Internet start-up

Extended Biographies of Panelists:

Zeeshan Suhail our moderator, is a graduate student in Political Science at The Graduate Center (CUNY). Zeeshan was recently appointed Board Member for Americans for Informed Democracy and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in International Relations at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). Zeeshan was also an active member of student government at his undergraduate school, Queens College-CUNY, where he was the first Pakistani and the first Muslim to be elected Vice President in the 35 years of student government history. Zeeshan has appeared on CNN and his work has been published in Q-News (Britain), The World Scholar (New York), Pakistan Post (New York) and The Nation (Pakistan).

Asma Shikoh is visual artist, whose main concerns are her immediate environment. She grew up in Karachi, Pakistan--a society constrained by tradition, threaded through with colonial legacy and subjected to the most rapid changes due to the impact of globalization. Her work there attempted to define national and cultural identities of a society in flux. ‘Ronald’ from McDonalds and ‘Colonel Sanders’ of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) became revered icons in the imagery of my artwork; celebrating, dancing, invading, controlling, and challenging the very vulnerable/sacred ideals of nationalism in our society. She recently had an exhibit at the Ceres Gallery in New York City.

Sajjad Chowdhry is creator of Dinar Standard, a new business strategy e-magazine, released the first ever ranking of top businesses in the Muslim world covering companies from the 57 member countries of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference.)

Yasser Salem is a former consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York and Dubai. Prior to McKinsey & Company, Mr. Salem held several positions within the financial services industry, including investment banking and buy-side investing. Mr. Salem works with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, a non-profit organization which recruits, trains, and places outstanding minority college students in substantive financial services internships. Yasser graduated with honors from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University with degrees in Finance and Accounting. He is currently a recruiter for Sponsors in Educational Opportunity, nation’s premiere summer internship program for talented students of color leading to full-time job offers. Since its inception, SEO’s Career Program has placed over 4,000 Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Native American students in internships that lead to opportunities in exciting and rewarding careers in the most competitive industries worldwide.

Omar Taha has various experiences in the financial services industry, including Foreign Exchange trading in New York. Prior to Foreign Exchange trading, Mr. Taha was an Investment Banking analyst at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Taha graduated from the Honors Program at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University with degrees in Finance and Accounting. He started The S&T Group, a financial services executive search firm catering exclusively to Dubai and the greater Gulf; focusing on direct investing (private equity and hedge funds), investment banking, capital markets, and accounting opportunities. They were founded with the mission of being primary contributors to the economic and corporate development of the Middle East. They believe, with the right professional talent, the Middle East has all the resources necessary to become leaders in the corporate world. The S&T Group focuses on high quality long-term relationships with clients and candidates.

Moushumi Khan is an attorney and business consultant in private practice in New York City. She has had extensive experience with cross-cultural issues affecting companies dealing with Muslim employees, customers or suppliers. She has been active in the non-profit, economic development and legal sectors. Since February 2001 Ms. Khan has been in solo legal practice concentrating on corporate and civil rights law. Her clients include the Muslim immigrant populations, and companies with Muslim employee and community relations issues to resolve. Ms. Khan is a co-founder and President of the Muslim Bar Association of New York and is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Toufique Harun is a technology entrepreneur at heart. He is currently the founder and CEO of an Internet search start-up. He was formerly the VP of Systems & Technology at an oil trade facilitation company he helped build from conception. Prior to that, he was consulting at Deloitte. Toufique has a Bachelor's and Master's in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. In his spare time, he enjoys talking to and learning from ambitious leaders and entrepreneurs who want to change the world for the better.

Sarah Musa started Haya, LLP to meet the overwhelming demands for modest, contemporary clothing for women living in the West. There are countless stories by women who have spent hours in shopping malls, only to find that they have to compromise simply to get a long garment, perhaps something that is not walk-able, has slits, is made to be fitted, etc. She is currently a student at Fashion Institute of Technology.

Musa Syeed is a 2005 Fulbright Fellow producing experimental films related to identity in the Muslim world. His work has taken him from the deserts of Egypt to the mountains of Kashmir. His other filmmaking honors include being named a finalist for the George A. Heinemann Film Production Award. As a writer, he produced original theatrical work for the Children's Museum of Manhattan and serves as a film critic for Islamica Magazine. Syeed has worked as an educator in schools, community centers, and prisons. He focuses on interfaith education and serves as an advisor for film and television companies, including Thirteen/WNET, the PBS affiliate in New York City. He is an alumnus of New York University's Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies and Tisch School of the Arts.

Questions? Please contact Sadia Kalam at sadia.kalam@gmail.com

Event: Who speaks for Islam? Who speaks for the West? - 11/29

“Who speaks for Islam? Who speaks for the West?”

A panel discussion with:

• Munir Akram, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations
• Lisa Anderson, Dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs
• Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations
• Karen Pierce, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations
• M. Javad Zarif, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations

Moderated by Mustapha Tlili, founder and director of New York University’s Dialogues: Islamic World–U.S.–The West.

The Danish cartoon crisis, the controversy surrounding Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks about Islam, the escalation of violence in Iraq and Afghanistan — these are but a few recent examples of flash points between the Muslim and Western worlds. Five years after 9/11 we are clearly set on a troubling path, defined at the core by a mix of political and cultural issues. With tensions threatening to spiral out of control, what can be done to remedy the current situation? How can we re-inject mutual respect and understanding into the relationship between two great civilizations?

Participants will debate these questions and offer recommendations for charting a new course in Muslim world–Western world relations, focusing on the findings from the report of the February 2006 Dialogues conference, “Who speaks for Islam? Who speaks for the West?”

Wednesday, November 29, 2006, 6:30 — 8:30 pm

NYU’s Silver Center for Arts and Science, Jurow Lecture Hall, 100 Washington Square East, New York, New York

RSVP to 212–998–8693 or nlh2@nyu.edu by November 22, 2006.

Please note: non–NYU guests will be required to show a photo ID for admission.