Open CallOpen Call: Rough Cuts
Battling Bias: Islam and the 2008 Election (4:04)
Stuart Harmon, Megan Thompson - Brooklyn, NY
Note From the Makers: The rough cut is VERY rough -- in that it only contains one element of a few that we plan to have in the final product. We wanted to at least show people what the issues are that we will be addressing, etc.
The Pitch:
A Muslim man in Brooklyn walks into the poll knowing he can vote for president, but that he could never succeed as a candidate himself.
A Christian voter in Long Island, suspecting a local candidate might be Muslim, votes for the opposition – without knowing anything about him.
A Muslim youth in Queens speaks out on behalf of a presidential candidate – a candidate who hesitates to speak out on behalf of him.
How is it that during Election 2008, the words "Muslim" and "Islam" have become political dirty words?
The rumors and gossip surrounding candidate Barack Obama's faith have helped expose a sad bias in our nation – a bias that is going largely unchallenged by both the mainstream media and the presidential candidates.
The vast majority of American voters admit they are prejudiced against Muslim Americans and forty percent of Americans say they would be "very uncomfortable" with a Muslim candidate for president. The truth is that most Americans are grossly misinformed about the Islamic faith and its followers.
Meanwhile, thousands of Muslim Americans are preparing for the election – registering in record numbers and working for campaigns. But what’s it like to participate in an election in this kind of climate?
This is the story of the young Muslim activist whose hopes of electing his favorite candidate are overshadowed by the American public's unwillingness to fully accept Islam. We will examine the inherent tensions for Muslims who are working through politics to better our nation – a nation sometimes hostile to their faith.
With over half a million Muslims, the New York City area has one of the largest Islamic populations in the country, many who are deeply involved in this year's election. Our story will go beyond the campaign office and into the activist's home to show how a Muslim family is fairing in today's heated political climate. While the candidates trade barbs over who is the most "Christian," our character struggles daily to gain acceptance from the community around him.
Stylistically, the film takes a poetic approach to following the narrative of our young character as he travels from his home to the campaign office. The camera will follow the progression of the activist's ideas about his candidate and his political views as we follow him throughout his day on the campaign trail, bringing us in close to the values, prayers and traditions that are practiced by Muslims in America. Time lapses, stop motion effects, and emotional music will help will lead the viewer on a creative visual journey into our character's world against the backdrop of bustling New York City.
We are a team of professional filmmakers with extensive experience in documentary film, television news and advertising. We believe that a personal, political tale of a Muslim in New York City is crucial to bringing a fresh perspective to this year's election coverage. Our hope is that the film will help expose the POV audience to a set of important voices that often overlooked in Americas political world.
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interesting subject
Your progressive Muslims seem quite lovely, but they seem to suffer from the same problem as the Christian voter to whom you referred: they seem to have a singular view of the opposition. Also, I do not feel they represent the average Muslim American. Would you be so bold as to interview the average woman who wears the hajib? I would love to know what she thinks and feels about the candidates and the election. Or perhaps you could explore friendships between average Muslims and average Christians. It might take some effort to find them, but it might be very enlightening to the average PBS viewer.
Whatever you choose, I wish you great success.
Good start
It's useful to see and hear how the people in this piece feel Muslims are perceived in the US and portrayed in the media. The potential impact on the Obama campaign of being labled a Muslim is interesting but could be organized better.
Do the filmmakers have other news clips of candidates that offer positive views of Muslim Americans?
Would be good to see the arc of this piece develop to encourage the viewer to consider their own views on Muslim Americans. Tie that into the idea of the democratic process. It does not need to be only in reference to Obama.
Funny
Unsurprisingly onesided. You don't seem concerned with exploring why some people are leary of muslims by talking directly to people who feel that way. You instead seem to be taking the perspective of an apologist; the "Oh, let's hear about the down on their luck, because we feel so sorry for them," approach. This is very biased. Short clips of others is not the same as these long discussion formats you give to espouse the opinions of muslims.
Mmm, gotta love that liberal slant.
this is a POWERFUL piece
this is a POWERFUL piece that addresses a timely piece through a unique P.O.V. a must see educational film. now make it more cinematic so that it also appeals to the average movie goer -- the ones likely to hold a more narrow view of muslims.
you've got something here. good job.
chico
Battling Bias trailer
Thank you for your time and effort in raising an interesting and timely issue. I hope as you develop your film you will go well beyond the Muslim supporters of Barack Obama. American Muslims have faced the same dilemma for a very long time (working and voting for candidates who hold anti-Islamic bias). Many (perhaps most) American Muslims have historically voted Republican; and the division between predominantly immigrant Republican and predominantly indigenous Democratic Muslims has been a sad reality in our community. I don't know what Obama thinks about Islam, but I would hate for your film to suggest that he is failing his Muslim supporters more than his predecessors have done.
Furthermore, it is important to realize that the times they are a'changin. Just as it seemed inconceivable that an African-American would be a serious candidate for the presidency, it seems inconceivable that the majority of Americans, who are not Muslim, would elect a Muslim to office. This is, in fact, not the case, as witnessed by the election of Congressman Keith Ellison, a Muslim who also happens to be African American.
Obama's campaign is based on the idea that diversity is a good thing and that people of different beliefs, ethnicities and lifestyles can work together to bring about an America that benefits us all. He achieved the status that he has by refusing to be defined by those who did not understand or like him. He did not waste time arguing with them. Instead he patiently and positively moved forward in the light of what he believed in. We Muslims, immigrant and indigenous alike, must do the same, and stop wasting time worrying about who doesn't like us. Remember, it was only 1959 when it was inconceivable that a Catholic could be president.
So please, in your film, emphasize the positive. We must be careful not do the work of the haters for them.