Parvez Sharma is now a 2018 Guggenheim fellow !! Please do visit our one-stop (designed from scratch) website at parvezsharma.com ! And yes, A Sinner in Mecca, the NYT' Critics Pick Film and later (very dissimilar book) book with the same title, and the film A Jihad for Love are still changing minds globally!! Our Islam Trilogy is all about truth-telling in the age of Donald Trump! And is stored for posterity in the prestigious UCLA Film and Television Archive.

 
 

The daring new film
from the director of A Jihad for Love

For a gay filmmaker, filming in Saudi Arabia presents two serious challenges: filming is forbidden in the country and homosexuality is punishable by death. For filmmaker Parvez Sharma, however, these were risks he had to assume as he embarked on his Hajj pilgrimage, a journey considered the greatest accomplishment and aspiration within Islam, his religion. He brings back the story of the religion like it has never been told before, having endured the biggest Jihad there is: the struggle with the self.

❯ BRING US TO YOUR CAMPUS/COMMUNITY NOW!
❯ The New York Times Profile on Parvez

Watch the Trailer

THE NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' PICK!

“Mr. Sharma has created a swirling, fascinating travelogue and a stirring celebration of devotion….we emerge from his film more enlightened” - The New York Times

A Sinner in Mecca Poster!

A Sinner in Mecca: A Gay Muslim's Hajj of Defiance

A Sinner in Mecca, the book is here!
Truth-telling and going way beyond the [NY Times Critics' Pick] film!

ORDER NOW!

"Written with a deep knowledge of Islamic history with courage and fierce emotion"
-THE GUARDIAN

"(Helps us) gain perspective on extremists and religion, but also acts as a glass to view the world here in the United States, the challenges felt by the Muslim community, and the oppressive weight of the Trump administration"
-TOWLEROAD

This book takes us from Beirut to Cairo to Mecca to Karachi, Kuala Lumpur and more--from Stephen Bannon to ISIS, from Obama to Osama. No one is talking about Islam from this perspective. Almost two decades of work in the trenches and boy, what a journey!

# 1 NY Times bestselling author and CNN host Reza Aslan says" "Parvez's heroism is rare and his courage, well-documented. Putting his own life at risk, he takes us on a surprising and compelling journey through the frontlines of his much contested faith. A brilliant follow up to his films, "A Jihad for Love" and "A Sinner in Mecca".

Foreword Reviews says: "Intimate and careful...shocking in its clarity and candor"

Publishers Weekly says, "Fascinating"

Press Inquiries

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Please visit our brand new website at parvezsharma.com ! Parvez Sharma is a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow! On parvezsharma.com you will find all the latest on Parvez’s work and his recent Guggenheim fellowship!

This ancient cube shaped structure called the Kaaba is the beating heart of Islam. The Kaaba also lies at the heart of A SINNER IN MECCA. It is contained within the Masjid al Haram (The Sacred Mosque) in Makkah (present day Mecca). This is why we call ourselves Haram [sacred; sanctuary] Films and this is why we are proud to present this remarkable film that takes you to the very heart of Islam in Saudi Arabia.

The primary image in this slideshow represents the Tawaaf (circumambulation) of the Kaaba, done seven times, counter-clockwise. This circling has not stopped for more than fourteen centuries and is a ritual, which is central to the Hajj pilgrimage depicted in this film and forthcoming book. Please check out our designed from scratch, remarkable new website, a one-shop stop at parvezsharma.com . You will LOVE IT !!

“Mr. Sharma has created a swirling, fascinating travelogue and a stirring celebration of devotion….we emerge from his film more enlightened”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Wrenching… gritty… surreal and transcendent; Visceral and Abstract… a true act of courage and hope”
The Hollywood Reporter
“Challenging his own faith in the face of adversity”
The Los Angeles Times
“Complex… Revelatory…”
The Washington Post
“Next time you hear politicians or right-wing broadcasters asking why “moderate” Muslims don't denounce terrorism, show them this movie”
THE VILLAGE VOICE
“Combines the political, personal and spiritual in a remarkable way”
Thompson on Hollywood
“With poetic simplicity… a delicately personal story and a call to action”
The Guardian
“The talk of the documentary circuit…”
NBC News
“Takes its audience where no movie has gone before”
DAILY NEWS
“Goes Undercover… A Rare Look… Sure to be Controversial”
THE DAILY BEAST
“A work of vital political and social import”
SLANT MAGAZINE
“Brilliant… Rare… Takes aim at Wahhabi Islam…”
VICE
“Surreal… Bold… An incredibly rare insight…”
Paper Magazine
“A rebuke of Saudi Arabia”
YAHOO NEWS
“(a) death defying religious journey…”
New York Daily News
“Brave… An unprecedented exploration of Islam”
OUT Magazine
“…Like a carefully constructed thriller…”
THE ADVOCATE
THE ADVOCATE
“Powerful, Illuminating… a remarkable examination of contemporary Islam”
Indiewire
“A deeply warm-hearted ode to humanity”
ARTINFO
“Spectacular… Emotional core stands out…”
NOW Toronto
تکان دهنده و بی محابا
“Shocking and Courageous…”
BBC Persian
“Unprecedented… Surreal”
SCREEN INTERNATIONAL
“A deeply personal film about faith and forgiveness”
THE TORONTO STAR
“Deeply personal… High Drama… A protest against Saudi Arabia…”
Scroll India
"A perilous journey"
The Indian Express
قبح زدایی از عملکرد شنیع همجنس بازی … ضربه به اسلام
"The disgusting act of homosexuality… an attack on Islam"
Jahan News
“Nonfiction-filmmaking does not get much gutsier than Sharma video-documenting his hajj… Bold and stingingly truthful, A Sinner in Mecca is very highly recommended”
JB Spins
“Powerful…”
Daily Mail
“Moving… Brave… Visceral… Insightful…”
DocGeeks
“Meaningful… a testament to courage…”
Screen Daily
“(An) Audacious Act…”
CBC Radio