Welcome to the first-ever African Muslim Film Festival (AMFF) 2023!

The African Muslim Film Festival is the first of its kind, screening films from all across Africa that were made by, for, or about Muslims. All films will be streamable & online, with a variety of films from Sudan, Chad, Egypt, and South Africa.

This year’s festival will offer four films in total, each available as one film a week during the month of March.

March 9-16: You Will Die at Twenty - Sudan | 2019 | Drama/Narrative | Directed by Amjad Abu Alala

March 16-23: Abouna - Chad | 2002 | Drama | Directed by Mahamat Saleh Haroun

March 23-30: Mawlana - Egypt | 2016 | Drama/Mystery | Directed by Magdi Ahmed Ali

March 30- April 6: Barakat - South Africa | 2020 | Comedy | Directed by Amy Jephta

The festival opens on Thursday, March 9th at 3 pm ET and closes on Thursday, April 6th at 3 pm ET.

Each film will open and close every Thursday of March at 3 pm ET.

All screenings are free. Some films will only be available in North America. Check each film’s information for more details. All films will include English subtitles.

Pre-order your films, watch trailers, and learn more here: http://watch.eventive.org/amff

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THIS WEEK’S FEATURE:
Available to stream on demand from March 30-April 6 at http://watch.eventive.org/amff

Barakat
2020 | 105 minutes | Afrikaans | South Africa
Directed by: Amy Jephta

When matriarch Aisha Davids decides to accept a marriage proposal, she devises a plan to break the news to her four sons over Eid. The only problem is that the two eldest sons have been at odds since their father passed away and refuse to be in the same room at the same time.

Her big reveal is spoiled when the boys hear via the grapevine about their mother’s pending marriage and come together to voice their disapproval. Now it’s up to Aisha, her fiancé, and her daughters-in-law to bring the sons around to her way of thinking using the one thing they can all agree on–the barakat. Barakat, an Arabic word meaning blessings, is a story about celebrating life, culture, and the importance of family.

Film Background & Facts:
Barakat is a 2020 South African family drama film directed by Amy Jephta and produced by Ephraim Gordon. It is the first Afrikaans-language Muslim feature film produced in South Africa. Barakat, an Urdu word meaning “Blessings,” was told with gentle humanity stemming from filmmakers with lived experience. This is a rare and insightful glimpse into the heart of the Muslim, Malay, mixed-race community of Cape Town, seen through the prism of one family’s travails as they grapple with the ups and downs of life, love, and familial relationships in a way that is recognizable and relatable.



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This African Muslim Film Festival is brought to you by the Global Islamic Studies Center and cosponsored by the African Studies Center, Arab and Muslim American Studies, the Center for Middle East and North African Studies, Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum, the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, the Department of Film, Television, and Media, the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, the Department of Political Science, and the Sawyer Seminar on the Africana Muslim and Genealogies of White Supremacy.


Visit http://watch.eventive.org/amff for more details.

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If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to islamicstudies@umich.edu.

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If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact islamicstudies@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.