''Mooz-lum'' is a 2011 American
independent film written and directed by Qasim "Q" Basir and stars
Danny Glover,
Nia Long
Nia Talita Long (born October 30, 1970) is an American actress. Best known for her work in Black cinema, Long rose to prominence after starring in the film ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), and for her portrayal of Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes on the NBC sit ...
, and
Evan Ross
Evan Olav Ross-Naess (born August 26, 1988), is an American actor and musician. He made his acting debut in the comedy-drama film '' ATL'' (2006), and has since starred in the films ''Pride'' (2007), ''According to Greta'' (2009), ''Mooz-lum'' ( ...
. ''Mooz-lum'' (i.e. "Muslim") tells the story of an
African American Muslim family whose lives are changed by the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
and
their aftermath. The film was initially promoted primarily through
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
, before opening for its limited theatrical release on February 11, 2011.
Cast
*
Evan Ross
Evan Olav Ross-Naess (born August 26, 1988), is an American actor and musician. He made his acting debut in the comedy-drama film '' ATL'' (2006), and has since starred in the films ''Pride'' (2007), ''According to Greta'' (2009), ''Mooz-lum'' ( ...
as Tariq Mahdi
*
Nia Long
Nia Talita Long (born October 30, 1970) is an American actress. Best known for her work in Black cinema, Long rose to prominence after starring in the film ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), and for her portrayal of Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes on the NBC sit ...
as Safiq
*
Danny Glover as Dean Francis
*
Roger Guenveur Smith as Hassan Mahdi
*
Azhar Usman
Azhar Muhammad Usman (born December 23, 1975) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer of Indian descent. He is a former lecturer, community activist and lawyer and has been referred to as the "Ayatollah of Comedy" and "Bin Laug ...
as Brother Hussein
Plot
Amid a strict Muslim rearing and a social life he has never had, Tariq Mahdi (Evan Ross) enters college confused.
New peers, family and mentors help him find his place, but the 9/11 attacks force him to face his past and make the biggest decisions of his life.
Filming
The movie was filmed in
Southeastern Michigan
Southeast Michigan, also called southeastern Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan that is home to a majority of the state's businesses and industries as well as slightly over half of the state's population, most of whom are c ...
. Although the college attended by Tariq is never explicitly identified, most of the college scenes were filmed on location on the campuses of the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
and
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
. The mosque scene was filmed at the
Islamic Center of America
The Islamic Center of America (Arabic: ٱلْمَرْكَز ٱلْإِسْلَامِيّ فِي أَمْرِيكَا, ''al-Markaz al-ʾIslāmīy Fī ʾAmrīkā'') is a mosque located in Dearborn, Michigan. The Islamic Center of America, a 120 ...
in
Dearborn, Michigan.
Reception
As of January 14, 2015, ''Mooz-lum'' has received an overall rating of 78% from all critics (7 ''fresh'' and 2 ''rotten'') at
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
. Film critic Omer Mozaffar calls the film "a long awaited breath of fresh air." at
RogerEbert.com.
Awards and honors
*14th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival 2010—Best Narrative Feature
*
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...
2010—Official Selection
*
34th Cairo International Film Festival
The 34th annual Cairo International Film Festival was held from November 30 to December 9, 2010.
References
Cairo International Film Festival
Cairo International Film Festival
Cairo International Film Festival
The Cairo International ...
—Official Selection
See also
*
List of cultural references to the September 11 attacks
*
List of black films of the 2010s
Notes
Further reading
* Basir, Qasim.
I Am a Muslimerican. ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'', August 19, 2010.
*
Film 'Mooz-lum' Confronts Public Perceptions of Islam, ''
Tell Me More
''Tell Me More'' was a National Public Radio interview show that was hosted by journalist Michel Martin. ''Tell Me More'' was first introduced online in December 2006 through an "open piloting" program called "Rough Cuts." Martin and the show's ...
'',
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, September 20, 2010.
*
"Mooz-lum": faith flourishing in freedom - Contending Modernities, February 17, 2011.
External links
*
*
* https://www.facebook.com/Moozlumthemovie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mooz-lum
2010 films
Films based on the September 11 attacks
Films about Islam
2010s English-language films
American independent films
African-American films
American drama films
2010s American films