Featured Lifestyle NewsJune 24, 2021

“Muslim Avengers” tackle maligned Muslim media portrayal with initiative – Pillars Artist Fellowship

The newly-minted Oscar-nominee as well as Emmy-winner, Riz Ahmed, well known for his performances in projects like “Sound of Metal” or “The Night Of” is taking his fight in his activism to required and necessary level. Actor, producer and musician is launching a multi-layered initiative for Muslim representation in media, in partnership with  the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the Ford Foundation and Pillars Fund. 

According to a research conducted from the USC Annenberg’s new study on Muslim representation in media, “less than 10% of top grossing films from 2017-2019 has a Muslim character on screen, with less than 2% of those character having speaking roles.” This coalition has created the Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion, as well as the Pillars Artisit Fellowship.

The Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion was developed to offer a broad set of recommendations to film industry professional. The recommendations aim to support the creation of more authentic Muslim portrayals by amplifying Muslim voices in the industry, eliminating terror tropes and including Muslims in programming.  Additionally, it also includes short, medium, and long-term solutions for change, concrete recommendations for everyone from production companies to drama schools, and a suite of practical resources and contacts to support everything from script screening to casting. ( The Muslim Blueprint )

Pillars Fund, who was a partner on this research, is making a commitment to invest in Muslim artists who can shift the lens through which Muslim stories are told from the negative and stereotypical two-dimensional portrayal but rather to one that is more complex, accurate and honest.

The Pillars Artist Fellowship was launched with the intention of empowering emerging Muslim artists on their pathway to success along with the resources they need to pursue their greatest aspirations. The program hopes to positively influence the career trajectories of emerging Muslim writers, directors, and producers who may otherwise lack the opportunities to realize their full potential. 

The fellowship also offers participating artists unrestricted financial awards, high-quality one-on-one mentorship, career development curriculum, and active and ongoing community building. The hope being that substantial unrestricted financial and professional support can help artists not only reach but achieve their dreams with more ease.

The Advisory Committee consists of Muslim artists who have been trailblazers in the industry, including; Riz Ahmed, Mahershala Ali, Sana Amanat, Karim Amer, Rosa Attab, Lena Khan, Nida Manzoor, Hasan Minhaj, Jehane Noujaim, and Ramy Youssef.

Who is eligible for the Pillars Artist Fellowship?

The selection process will focus on Muslim artists in the U.S. and U.K. at the early stage of their career – who possess the extraordinary creativity and an ability, to create fresh, untold stories that advance social change. Designed as a multi-year program, the Pillars Artist Fellowship will focus in its first pilot year on writers and directors working in the film and TV industries. In further years, it will expand to cover artists from other disciplines, including literature, music, and visual arts.

Applications are now open; the deadline being Fall 2021. Pillars Artist Fellowship recipients will be announced on December 1, 2021, and the fellowship program will run from January to August 2022.

More details at: https://pillarsfund.org/culture-change/pillars-artist-fellowship/

“What rewrites the rules are not the exceptions,” Ahmed said, “but it is when the oppressed and the oppressors, whether aware of being oppressors or aware of their complicity in oppression or not, join hands, open their eyes, and make a solemn commitment to take some concrete action.”