OUR CATALOG

Array
(
    [id] => 439
    [title] => Unveiled Views
    [link] => stdClass Object
        (
            [url] => https://www.wmm.com/catalog/film/unveiled-views
            [title] => more
        )

    [image_thumb] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/unveiled-views/320x-cbe_ttt5.png
    [created_at] => Array
        (
        )

    [year_released] => 2009
    [text] => In this revealing documentary five extraordinary women talk about their occupations, aspirations, and the rights and status of women in their Muslim countries. Bosnian Alma Suljevic risks her life daily clearing the landmines near Sarajevo that are war’s deadly legacy, then sells minefield earth in European art galleries so that she can continue her work. Eren Keskin, a longtime human rights activist and lawyer with music conservatory training, fights to change Turkey’s legal practices that perpetuate violence against women. Veteran filmmaker Rakshan Bani-Ehmad, true to her credo that art must “look, observe, and discover”, frequently pushes Iran’s censorship rules to the limit. Surrounded by conflict since childhood, young Afghani writer Moshagan Saadat creates brave, profoundly moving and memorable poems. And renowned Pakistani dancer Nahid Siddiqui, once forced to live outside her homeland when her work was banned, continues to perfect, renew, and teach her art form. Captured by Spanish filmmaker Alba Sotorra, who hitchhiked from Barcelona to Pakistan to shoot UNVEILED VIEWS, these self-portraits of hope, heroism, and pride challenge conventional Western stereotypes about women in the Islamic world.
    [image] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/unveiled-views/cbe_ttt5.jpg
)

Array
(
    [id] => 449
    [title] => Mother, Lebanon & Me
    [link] => stdClass Object
        (
            [url] => https://www.wmm.com/catalog/film/mother-lebanon-me
            [title] => more
        )

    [image_thumb] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/mother-lebanon-me/320x-motherlebanon_hires1.png
    [created_at] => Array
        (
        )

    [year_released] => 2009
    [text] => A visually striking meditation on loss and a perceptive political critique, this deeply personal work has two subjects: filmmaker Olga Naccache’s ailing mother and the chaotic country where Naccache was raised. Both fell sick in 1975, the onset of incurable depression for one and a bloody civil war ushering in deep divisions for the other. In this sequel to LEBANON: BITS AND PIECES (1994), Naccache ponders the plight of the country she clearly loves while honoring the mother dear to her.

Her montage draws on conversations with Naccache's mother toward the end of life, along with footage of this beautiful, accomplished woman and ardent secularist in more physically robust times. Stunning scenes of tranquil Beirut and southern Lebanon contrast with close-ups of a nation under siege from within and abroad. Recent interviews with two longtime friends—a leftist teacher of philosophy in a Christian village school and a Shiite Muslim viewing Hezbollah as Lebanon’s only hope—raise crucial questions about the nation’s identity and precarious future.
    [image] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/mother-lebanon-me/motherlebanon_hires1.jpg
)

Array
(
    [id] => 451
    [title] => Voices Unveiled: Turkish Women Who Dare
    [link] => stdClass Object
        (
            [url] => https://www.wmm.com/catalog/film/voices-unveiled-turkish-women-who-dare
            [title] => more
        )

    [image_thumb] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/voices-unveiled-turkish-women-who-dare/320x-cbe_trukish_crop.png
    [created_at] => Array
        (
        )

    [year_released] => 2010
    [text] => Can Islamic values co-exist with full equality for women? VOICES UNVEILED examines this timely issue through portraits of three women pursuing life paths and careers of their own choosing in present-day Turkey.

Each has defied social expectations in a democratic, secular nation where religious fundamentalism has re-emerged as a political force and patriarchal values still prevail.  Well-known textile artist Belkis Belpinar, whose work combines science and kilim rug traditions, resisted her father’s wishes that she study engineering.  Dancer and psychologist Banu Yucelar braved family opposition to modern dance, widely perceived as a form of prostitution.  Women’s rights activist Nur Bakata Mardin helps women in underserved communities, where old beliefs hold sway, form small business cooperatives. 

As engaging as its subjects, VOICES UNVEILED punctuates its in-depth portraits with insights from other Turks and lively discussions that include intergenerational debates over veiling.  The film is a valuable companion to WOMEN OF TURKEY, which offers a different take on gender roles that embrace modern lifestyles and Islamic culture.
    [image] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/voices-unveiled-turkish-women-who-dare/cbe_trukish_crop.jpg
)

Array
(
    [id] => 478
    [title] => Rights & Wrongs
    [link] => stdClass Object
        (
            [url] => https://www.wmm.com/catalog/film/rights-wrongs
            [title] => more
        )

    [image_thumb] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/rights-wrongs/320x-randw_hires.png
    [created_at] => Array
        (
        )

    [year_released] => 2011
    [text] => By returning to the roots of Islam and understanding how societies have found justification for their treatment of women within Islamic sources, this thoughtful and far reaching film is an essential resource that debunks myths about women and Islam. Renowned Muslim feminist scholars and journalists, including Asra Q. Nomani, Mona Eltahawy, Azadeh Moaveni, Dr. Amina Wadud, Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl and Asma Gull Hasan, detail how from early on very different understandings of the Qur’an lead to vastly different translations, with enormous repercussions for women living in different Islamic societies around the world. The film alternates between the history of Mohammad and issues facing Muslim women today—from the wearing of the veil, to praying in the mosque, and attitudes towards domestic violence and honor killings. It also looks at how feminism works within Islam in the modern era. RIGHTS & WRONGS is indispensable for courses on Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, comparative religion, women’s studies and more.
    [image] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/rights-wrongs/randw_hires.jpg
)

Array
(
    [id] => 480
    [title] => The Mosque in Morgantown
    [link] => stdClass Object
        (
            [url] => https://www.wmm.com/catalog/film/the-mosque-in-morgantown
            [title] => more
        )

    [created_at] => Array
        (
        )

    [year_released] => 2009
    [text] => THE MOSQUE IN MORGANTOWN follows one woman’s campaign for change against extremism in her West Virginia mosque, throwing the community into turmoil and raising questions that cut to the heart of American Islam. When former Wall Street Journal journalist and single mother Asra Q. Nomani returns from working in Pakistan to her hometown mosque in Morgantown, West Virginia, she believes she sees signs of trouble: exclusion of women, intolerance toward non-believers, and suspicion of the West. She finds such signs particularly alarming and determined to halt the ‘slippery slope’ that she maintains leads from Islamic intolerance to violence, she begins a campaign to drag the mosque’s practices into the 21st century, triggering a heated battle between tradition and modernity. Nomani’s activist tactics alienate would-be allies in the mosque, leading many to wonder who most deserves the label of “extremist.” Director Brittany Huckabee takes a balanced view of the tensions dividing this community, exploring both sides from a neutral standpoint. This riveting Emmy® Award nominated film is not only about women’s rights in the mosque but about the struggles of a Muslim community faces as it strives to be a part of American life.
    [image] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/the-mosque-in-morgantown/cbi_mosmor_hires0.jpg
)

Array
(
    [id] => 510
    [title] => Casablanca Calling
    [link] => stdClass Object
        (
            [url] => https://www.wmm.com/catalog/film/casablanca-calling
            [title] => more
        )

    [image_thumb] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/casablanca-calling/320x-casacal_hires1.png
    [created_at] => Array
        (
        )

    [year_released] => 2014
    [text] => As political conflict and change sweep the Arab world, CASABLANCA CALLING highlights a quiet social revolution under way in Morocco, where 60% of the women have never attended school. For the first time, Moroccan women are trained and employed as official Muslim leaders or morchidat. Charged with teaching an Islam based on tolerance, compassion and equality, they provide vital support and guidance to communities, especially to girls and women. 

At the film’s heart are Hannane, Bouchra and Karima, three morchidat assigned to mosques in different parts of Morocco. CASABLANCA CALLING follows them for a year on rounds to schools and other sites to provide advice on marriage and employment; champion education for girls and women; caution against early marriage; and help resolve personal problems. Offering unique access to a story we rarely see, this illuminating documentary demonstrates how women’s empowerment through moderate Islam is transforming a nation.
    [image] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/casablanca-calling/casacal_hires1.jpg
)

Array
(
    [id] => 522
    [title] => Playing With Fire: Women Actors Of Afghanistan
    [link] => stdClass Object
        (
            [url] => https://www.wmm.com/catalog/film/playing-with-fire-women-actors-of-afghanistan
            [title] => more
        )

    [image_thumb] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/playing-with-fire-women-actors-of-afghanistan/320x-PLWIFI_hires4.png
    [created_at] => Array
        (
        )

    [year_released] => 2014
    [text] => In Afghanistan, women deciding to be actors make a dangerous choice. Banned under Taliban rule (1994-2001), Afghan theater is experiencing a comeback with many women at the forefront. But with powerful forces of Islamic fundamentalism, a resurgent Taliban, and patriarchal traditions in play, actresses often face the harshest criticism and are even sometimes viewed as prostitutes. Socially ostracized, and pressured to abandon their careers, they receive beatings and death threats for them and their family. Some are forced to flee the country and some are even killed. 

PLAYING WITH FIRE introduces us to six courageous Afghan women who share their passions for acting, dreams, and difficult realities. They include Sajida, a student targeted by extremists; Monirah, besieged co-founder of an innovative women’s theater troupe; Tahera, forced into exile because of award-winning work at a theater festival; Roya, whose TV career brings her constant harassment; and Leena and Breshna, unprotected by their stage and motion picture fame.  

Filmmaker Anneta Papathanassiou exposes pervasive erosions of Afghan women’s rights. Her timely, eye-opening documentary perfectly captures art’s transformative power and the dangers these courageous women face to do the work they love.
    [image] => https://www.wmm.com/storage/films/playing-with-fire-women-actors-of-afghanistan/PLWIFI_hires4.jpg
)