Panel discussions
BFI New Talent / Friday 31 May / 17:00
Want to find out more about the business of making films? Hear from industry experts at the BFI Filmmaking fund and BFI Film Academy who will discuss how they work with emerging filmmakers in this panel discussion event. The session will cover everything from applying for funding to supporting sustainable careers.
Meet the Funders / Sat 1 June 10:00
Curious about navigating the world of filmmaking, securing funding and sustaining your craft in today's industry? Join us for an insightful panel discussion with commissioners from across the industry including BBC, Film4 and BFI.
Meet the Filmmakers / Sat 1 June 11:30
This panel will include established and new filmmakers, including talent from the 2024 MIFF programme. They will show examples of their work and discuss the current challenges facing the film industry, as well as answer audience questions.
Breaking Barriers / Sun 2 June 10:00
Industry experts join us to discuss how we can work together to challenge barriers faced by newcomers to the film industry. Panelists will include representatives from BAFTA, Channel 4, and the Film and TV Charity.
The festival will also feature industry networking events, visit TheMiff.net for more details
Festival Information
The 2024 Muslim International Film Festival will take place at Odeon Luxe West End 38a Leicester Square, London WC2H 7DX
Tickets are available from TheMiff.net / Eventbrite
Tickets are non refundable and non transferable
Events are open to those aged 18 and over only unless otherwise specified.
Prayer facilities available
If you have any access requirements or require a carer ticket please get in touch with us at info@themiff.net
Hello and Salam!
If you are reading this, then you have already joined the celebration of authentic storytelling centred on Islamic faith and Muslim culture. Welcome! Through the camera lens, we bring forward the most beautiful stories, told authentically and unapologetically from within. The length and breadth of the Muslim experience is vast, and our stories proudly reflect this diversity in all its nuance and vibrancy.
The world of film and media has come a long way, maturing into realising that tired tropes and one dimensional portrayals of Islam and Muslims simply won’t do anymore. Audiences have higher standards, the creative industry is buzzing with Muslim filmmaking talent and the world has never before needed to come together over our shared humanity more.
We cannot know what we don’t understand, and we cannot understand until we have honest and meaningful conversations. Through the films, conversations, and connections here today, we hope to bring forward the narratives that resonate and challenge us. And we hope to do it while having a fantastic time too! We are thrilled you are joining us for our inaugural festival and your presence alone makes you integral and so valued.
A huge heartfelt thank you to our industry partners, generous supporters, and the extraordinary filmmakers whose dreams have brought us together.
Enjoy the festival as we discover worlds and change perceptions together.
Sajid Varda, Founder & Festival Director
Opening Night Film
Hounds (Les Meutes)
Dir: Kamal Lazraq | 94 mins | 15 Cert
Thursday 30 May / 18:30
A kidnapping job goes awry for a fatherson crime duo, leading to a chaotic night as they confront an unexpected challenge with no turning back.
Set in the gritty streets of Casablanca, father-and-son duo Hassan (Abdellah Lebkiri) and Issam (Ayoub Elaid) imbue the film with an authentic and immersive viewing experience, defined by Lazraq’s decision to cast non-actors.
Goodbye Julia
Dir: Mohamed Kordofani | 120 mins
Friday 31 May / 18:20
Set on the brink of the secession of South Sudan, Mona is wracked with guilt after causing the death of a Southern man and covering her tracks. Seeking redemption, she hires his wife as her maid, and as tensions rise the two women form an unlikely bond.
Closing Night Film In Camera
Dir: Naqqash Khalid | 96 mins
Sunday 2 June / 17:30
Mancunian director Naqqash Khalid’s debut feature film, In Camera, is a satire offering a dream-like eeriness and take on the trials of the acting industry through the eyes of Aden (played by Nabhaan Rizwaan), a young Asian actor. After a series of catastrophic auditions, Aden takes the lead in finding a new character to play.
Khalid invites viewers on a surreal, mind-bender through the challenges faced by Asian individuals, prompting them to question their aspirations within a racist system inherently biased against them.
Followed by a Q&A with director Naqqash Khalid, and the festival Awards ceremony.
Hesitation Wound
Dir: Selman Nacar | 84 mins
Friday 31 May / 21:10
Canan juggles her duties as a criminal defence attorney and tending to her comatose mother. On the day of a sentencing hearing for a murder trial, she is presented with difficulties that will have unexpected consequences on the lives of her defendant, the judge and her mother.
Sky Peals
Dir: Moin Hussain | 91 mins
Saturday 1 June / 18:20
Feeling detached from the world around him, service station worker Adam receives devastating news about his estranged father, while uncovering mysteries of who that man really was
Followed by Q&A with actor Faraz Ayub
Empty Nets
Dir: Behrooz Karamizade | 101 mins
Saturday 1 June / 13:10
In a wholesome pursuit of young love, working-class Amir wants nothing more than to marry his clandestine upper-class girlfriend Narges. But his determination to get the approval of her family and pay her hefty dowry quickly leads him down a dangerous journey into the gritty depths of Iran’s fisheries.
Behind The Mountains
Dir: Mohamed Ben Attia | 98 mins
Saturday 1 June / 21:00
After serving a four-year sentence for vandalising his workplace, Rafik has one singular plan, to take his son to the mountains and reveal his remarkable discovery.
Saturday
The
Inshallah a Boy
Dir: Amjad Al Rasheed | 113 mins
Sunday 2 June / 14:45
In a fight against Jordanian patriarchal laws, a widow pretends to be pregnant so she can save her daughter and home.
Echoes Of Resistance
Shorts Programme
Sunday 2 June / 12:10
The films are followed by a Q&A Yellow
Dir: Elham Ehsas | 13 mins
I Carry It With Me Everywhere
Dir: Arwa Aburawa & Turab Shah | 19 mins
Suddenly TV
Dir: Roopa Gogineni | 19 mins
An Orange From Jaffa
Dir: Mohammed Almughanni | 27 mins
Things Unheard Of (2023)
Dir: Ramazan Kilic 16 mins