Islam to reach America via picture

The first scene of a movie inspired by the book If I Should Speak by Riyadh-based American novelist Umm Zakiyyah is complete and the result can easily be compared with Hollywood productions. The shots are cinematic and the actors look real. For those who are in the unawares, Umm Zakiyyah is an internationally acclaimed author of the If I Should Speak (IISS) trilogy and best sellers Realities of Submission and Hearts We Lost. If I Should Speak is currently being translated into Arabic by International Islamic Publishing House and is used in schools and universities in the Kingdom.
The film is being directed by Adnan F. Siddiqui, owner of SKOZ films, and produced by Alberto Tihan, a Toronto-based actor, writer and now, producer, who played the lead in the feature film Searching for Angels, directed by Nadeem Soumah.
At the heart of the movie, like the book, is the desire to present Islam in its true light and to use the popular medium of film as a Da’wah tool. Arab News chats up with Umm Zakiyyah (UZ) and Tihan (AT) to find out more about the exciting new project:
AN: What does the movie aim at and how is it different from the book?
UZ: The movie aims at giving viewers an entertaining glimpse into the life of an American college student who stumbles upon Islam through rooming with Muslims and completing a religion class assignment on the faith. The overall goal is to present the human side of Christian-Muslim relationships and the spiritual struggles involved when an American learns the truth of Islam.
At this stage, it differs little from the book itself, and the target audience is both a Western and Arab audience. We believe both groups would enjoy learning about Christian-Muslim relations in the West.
AN: As a debut producer, how has your experience been?
AT: It was an incredible journey. Adnan and I worked on the If I Should Speak proof-of-concept for a while now and so we’re really happy to finally have it shot; all efforts came to fruition. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to apply some of the self-educated knowledge to it and I fell in love with producing. We have fans of the book coming to my personal blog and show their love and support, so that's a very warming and satisfactory feeling. Producing is an art of its own, and I hope to learn and practice it for as long as I can
AN: How did the idea of making your best-seller book into a movie happen?
UZ: Director Adnan contacted me, initiating the project, and after that others grew interested in the project and got involved.
AN: How did you come to work on this project?
AT: Initially, Adnan spoke to the author of the book, Umm Zakiyyah, to direct the film. He then approached me to help him with the casting, since I knew a few actors. However I ended up scouting locations, handling auditions, contracts and equipment rentals to the point that eventually I earned myself the producer credit.
AN: Out of all your books, why was IISS selected for the movie?
UZ: To be honest, this selection was not my decision. But I imagine IISS was chosen particularly because it is the most popular and most widely read of my books. When I was discussing the decision with the director, he expressed interest in my novel Hearts We Lost also, but we both agreed that If I Should Speak, due to the simplicity of the plot and storyline, is best fit for the big screen. Hearts We Lost is now being looked at for a television mini-series.
AN: Is this a proper feature film or a short film? What was the location of the shooting?
AT: By industry standards, it's almost like a short film. But we’re hoping to get the green light from the investors so we can turn the project into a very "proper" feature film. Especially with the support we've had from fans, we know there's a demand for the film.
The script demanded for a college residence, however, due to budget constraints, that was not an option to us. Therefore we used a residential apartment as the main location and we completely transformed the room. We did so much work on the room. It probably looks better than a college residence.
AN: Some would question how does the movie, which features women in un-Islamic clothing, and the business of movie-making itself not being a readily accepted Da’wah method, spread the message of Islam?
UZ: Certainly, the concern for keeping within Islamic guidelines of women’s dress is definitely valid. However, what often surprises me about this oft-repeated question is that it assumes that non-Muslim women are required to don abayas and veils. Even in the Qur’an, all the verses discussing hijab are specific to Muslims. In fact, the entire reason for the Islamic dress code for Muslim women is, according the Qur’an, “so that they should be known [as believers]…” (33:59). Thus, if the non-Muslim women actresses are dressed modestly, I’m unsure what people mean by “women in un-Islamic clothing.” I also don’t understand why it wouldn’t be viewed as an excellent da’wah tool for non-Muslim actresses to play part in a movie aimed at educating others about Islam.
As for the business of movie-making not being readily accepted as a da’wah method, I don’t think this is an accurate observation. In my experience, movie-making is definitely accepted as a Da’wah method, and eagerly so. Muslims’ widespread disapproval of the movie business is based on popular movies and how these films generally portray licentious material. But as I was growing up in America, I always heard Muslims express a desire for movies to be used in a positive way.
AN: When will the movie complete?
AT: The investors have requested some footage to view (to see what it can look like) before taking part of the financial structure and we are very fortunate to have the author by our side, since she is heavily involved in the funding process. Although development stage is the most cost-effective, it is also the longest. But we’re confident to have a high-quality proof-of-concept for the investors, which can be easily compared with Hollywood pictures, so we might just enter production phase in early Spring/Summer of 2013.
AN: How involved are you in the movie-making process?
UZ: I’m not involved directly, but prior to commencing the project, the director and I discussed at length my own concerns about making my book into a major film and the limitations I felt should be set for the movie. He also keeps me updated on the progress and readily accepts my input. However, because this is ultimately his field and not mine (as I’m a novelist, not a filmmaker), when it comes to anything that inspires my uncertainty or ambivalence, I trust his judgment.
AN: Please give us an insight into the funding of the movie.
AT: Creating a film’s (unique) financing architecture can get quite complicated, considering production financing involves multiple parties (from Investors to distributor's Pre-Sales and Gap Financing). It’s never just one person handing out all the money. However we’re now in talks with the author and the investors about obtaining a significant percentage in private equity, which will facilitate the funding enormously. But there are other financing options available so we’re exploring all our options now. Once we obtain 100 percent of the budget we’re be able to start shooting.
To know more about the film and its actors, visit and like their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/IfIShouldSpeakMovie, follow them on Twitter @iissmovie and get updates through Tihan’s blog:
http://albertotihan.wordpress.com/the-producer/if-i-should-speak/

Email: [email protected]