NewGround Kicks Off Muslim-Jewish Film Series

November 19, 2009

Bad Faith (Mauvaise Foi)
Bad Faith (Mauvaise Foi)

Last week, over 40 people attended a screening of the French film "Bad Faith," the premiere event of the Muslim-Jewish Film series at the University of Southern California (USC).

The series, co-sponsored by NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change, the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement and USC's Office of Religious Life, seeks to use film to provoke productive discussions around sensitive and relevant issues in both the Muslim and Jewish communities.

The film "Bad Faith," by filmmaker Roshdy Zem, is a romantic comedy exploring the relationship challenges between a Muslim man and Jewish woman in 21st century France. The discussion after the film, facilitated by Rachel Gandin and Farah Khan, NewGround alumni, raised questions regarding the depiction of Muslim and Jewish characters in the film, how the characters' stories reflected the personal experiences of the audience, and provoked comments about the realities of living in a secularized world as religious minorities.

The film series will continue in January 2010 with 11 additional films exploring different themes in Muslim and Jewish relations including an exploration of the average life of Muslims and Jews in the contemporary Western world with screenings of "Kissing Jessica Stein" and "East is East" as well as a look at the internal conflict within majority Muslim and Jewish societies with screenings of Egyptian film, "The Yacoubian Building" and Israeli "Waltz with Bashir."

All films will be hosted at the University of Southern California. For more information about the film series, included scheduled dates, please contact CMJE at CMJE@usc.edu.

- Hebah Farrag
Associate Director, Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement




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