MARIAM

Director: Faiza Ambah (France / Saudi Arabia / USA, 2016, 45 mins)

It’s 2004 in France and a new law has recently been passed banning religious symbols in schools, including the hijab. For Mariam, a young teenager who has recently begun wearing the veil after returning from pilgrimage in Mecca with her grandmother, this means an agonising and unfair choice between continuing her studies and retaining an important part of her identity. Saudi Arabian journalist Faiza Ambah’s debut film is a witty, entertaining yet poignant insight into the issues facing a young Muslim woman growing up in a Western country.

UK Premiere, Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Dubai Film Festival.

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EXPLOITING IT? + Q&A

Director: Jade Jackman (UK, 2015, 17 mins)

In this thought-provoking documentary by first-time filmmaker Jade Jackman, several different British-Muslim women share their recent experiences of being negatively portrayed or stereotyped by the western media. Through these women’s perspectives we see an unexpected form of oppression that contradicts and challenges the misinformed view that these women are in fact oppressed by their faith. Furthermore, this short film offers an insight into how governmental legislation, such as Prevent and the Counter Terrorism and Security Bill, is seeping into different areas of life and institutionalizing racist stereotypes.

Followed by a Q&A with director Jade Jackman and special guests.

Part of the Roots strand of the EEFF 2016 programme.