This new short film on the month of Ramadan in Dearborn, Michigan is an eye-opening insight into what it’s like to practice the holy month in America.
Filmmaker Hamoody Jaafar put together the film with his team to “break down barriers”. Here’s what he had to say:
“As a storyteller, my ultimate goal is to shed light on people rather than stereotypes. As a Muslim-American filmmaker, I think it’s imperative to really begin shaping original content around the Muslim community. Not only from an inclusivity sake but more importantly because we have incredible stories to tell.
My mission has also been to break down barriers that are misrepresented or generalized. No matter what community that impacts. A lot of my work has been tailored toward that initiative.
Ultimately, I wanted to shoot something that captures the beauty and essence of Ramadan through a local lens. A spiritual and communal tribute to the Dearborn community during the holy month.
I also wanted to pay tribute to my childhood which had most of my weekends spent at my aunts & uncles homes on the South End & East side of Dearborn. Those are also areas of Dearborn to me that are so incredibly unique, authentic, & community oriented.
Nevertheless, we (my Producer, Ali “Bulldog” Abdallah and I) wanted to create something that sent a message about fasting during Ramadan while using Dearborn as our landscape. Telling a simple story that is rich and raw in humanity. We aimed to capture “moments” throughout a full days fast and ultimately capturing how the community comes together as the city of Dearborn transforms at night prior to ‘Suhoor’.
Hopefully, this captures the beauty of this holy time giving people a glimpse of how special of a time it is during Ramadan.”
You can watch the short film in its entirety below:
