A remarkable year!
We toured the world with the film. Packed audiences everywhere from Warsaw to Dublin to Copenhagen to Amsterdam to Prague and so many more! Extended Q&A’s sometimes going on for an hour or more. A remarkable amount of press attention! In Europe after the terrorist attacks in Paris the film took on an added urgency. When Brussels was in lockdown mode I went to the city to speak on national television.
We packed the theater in NYC even though it was Labor Day weekend and the reviews were mostly raves! We even became a NY Times Critics’ Pick, which is a big deal for any independent film.
In a special more than half-page feature on the filmmaker the New York Times said, “…The result is a religious reality film, but also a piercing indictment of Saudi Arabia…” And that it clearly is as audiences worldwide spoke about the film in relation to ISIS and Wahhabi Islam.
After a lot of hard work we were amongst 124 docs that qualified post submission for an Academy Award ! (Any filmmaker who has ever submitted will agree it is a very arduous process)
In Copenhagen, a Pakistani woman wept as she saw the film, saying she had felt ‘crucified’ her entire life and the film ‘untied’ her hands.
The hate continued to pour in. One hater, using bad grammar per usual said, ” Your dumb. You will never reenter Mecca. To hell you and your gayness. Trying to prove its ok to be gay, huh? And you know more then Allah? Muslim and gay mash allah as of that can go hand and hand. Like the fake Christian you take part of THIER book that suites THIER desires and leaves the other, ohh its ok no issue do a you like yet the bible says its wrong, ohh well, I mean . The storm must have came for you. Are you still alive? Are you still in Arabia? I hope you don’t leave without justice…”
But justice is exactly what we are fighting for. For millions of Muslims worldwide whose voices have been silenced. And that is what we will focus on continually! And its sweet to win so many awards including Grand Jury for Best Doc at Outfest and Best Doc at Image+Nation in Montreal!
It is an honor that we were acquired by Netflix! You can also watch the film on iTunes! Other ways to watch: Canada’s premiere CBC Show, ‘The Passionate Eye’, Arte in France and ZDF in Germany. Also coming soon to national television in Norway, Sweden and Denmark!
We have traveled to more than 50 film festivals in 2015! And will travel to more this year! Here is to a fabulous, fierce and fearless year for A Sinner in Mecca and for all of you!
And finally! Bring the film and the filmmaker to your campus and your community! Our events on college campuses have been enormous successes and we look forward to many more! Here is how you do it!