November 16, 2012

Last Friday, Nov. 9, MPAC's Hollywood Bureau hosted “Mohammad, Muslims and Movies: Reflections on the Legacy of Moustapha Akkad’s ‘The Message,’ ” a special screening and panel discussion of the iconic 1976 film that chronicles the life and times of Prophet Muhammad.

SEE: Facebook Photo Album (Facebook.com)

ALSO SEE: Flickr Photo Album (Flickr.com)

“At a time when a low-budget amateur video defaming the Prophet garnered unwarranted international attention, it is time to revisit the legendary film that first depicted the powerful story of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and of Islam,” said Salam Al-Marayati, MPAC President. “Moustapha Akkad’s courage and conscience dictated that he had to make this film, and it is now an inspiring resource to our young people and the American public.”

The screening at the University of Southern California was broken up into four parts, which included showing a clip of the movie followed by a panel discussion of that clip. The panelists who joined MPAC that night were Malek Akkad, CEO of Trancas International Films and the son of Moustapha Akkad, the director of ‘The Message’; Ahmos Hassan, Chair of MPAC’s Hollywood Bureau and President of Chariot Asset Management, Inc.; Paul Federbush, International Director at the Sundance Institute, and Varun Soni, Dean of the University of Southern California’s Office of Religious Life, who also served as moderator.

The first clip included an interview with Moustapha Akkad who spoke about what drove him to make the movie and the resistance he faced from very powerful people in Hollywood in trying to depict Islam and the Prophet.

Last Friday also marked the seven-year anniversary of the death of the legendary filmmaker Moustapha Akkad and his daughter, Rima, who were killed in a suicide bombing in Amman, Jordan.

“It's so wonderful to spend this day with all of you  - my friends and family,” said Malek Akkad, who began the event by thanking those gathered for attending. “This is the best way to remember this day by celebrating this wonderful and beautiful work. This film is the most remarkable achievement as it is the first film on this subject matter. It was remarkable feat to make this film it in two languages and in countries they have never filmed before.

Among the clips shown was the scene when the Muslims meet with the Abbysinian king. This was Moustapha Akkad’s favorite scene because it showed the thin line of difference between the two faiths.

Malek Akkad shared personal stories about traveling with his father in promotion of the film and meeting with many world leaders who praised the film for spreading the word of Islam.

“It is interesting to see how a low budget movie can change the world,” Hassan said. “And I hope these types of films and conversation can inspire other to make films.”

Since its release, ‘The Message’ has been translated into 36 languages and has played all over the world. It now has been digitally remastered as is available on DVD through Amazon.com

During the Q&A session following the discussion, one audience member said she watched the movie every day for a year and a half in elementary school, and now credits the movie for who she is today.

The event was cosponsored by Trancas International Films, USC Office of Religious Life, USC School of Cinematic Arts and the USC Muslim Student Union.