International 'Black Muslim Girl Fly' Announces 2020 Film Festival Lineup
The Californer/10107458

LOS ANGELES - Californer -- The Black Muslim Girl Fly Film Festival (BMGFly Fest), an inclusive and authentic celebration of Black Muslim women and Black women's stories in TV/ film, is pleased to announce the full lineup of films for the 2020 program themed Freedom, which will take place virtually on Sunday, December 13th, 2020 at SeedandSpark.com/BMGFlyFest. Since its launch, the event has been a platform dedicated to both established and emerging Black Muslim women filmmakers and creative talent, exploring diverse and underrepresented stories of the African diaspora across film, TV and digital platforms.

The lineup of features, short films and episodic works include:

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• Embracing Islam: Ashley's Story  // Directed by Naila Haider
• Love Supreme // Directed by Preacher Moss & Mustafa Davis
• "The Trap" Series // Directed by Nia Malika Dixon
• tender // Directed by Felicia Pride
• Henna // Directed by Hanaan Louis
• The Beginning of the End // Directed by David J. Hamilton III
• Muslim Sheroes of Minnesota: Labor Organizer Nimo Omar // Directed by Ariel Tilson
• Love in Submission // Directed by Lande Yoosuf

Award-winning entertainment branding executive, writer and filmmaker Thembisa MShaka will keynote the event. The "Black Muslim Narratives Matter" panel will be moderated by actress/musician Janina Gavankar
 and BMGFly Festival founder, Nia Malika Dixon. Film industry professionals tapped to participate in the panel include producer/actress Amatus Karim-Ali; award winning writer/director Nijla Mu'min (JINN); writer/director Qasim Basir (MOOZ-LUM); filmmaker/activist Sultan Sharrief; and filmmaker Malikah A. Shabazz.

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This year's judge panel includes TV/Film producer Effie T. Brown (DEAR WHITE PEOPLE), award-winning actor/producer Fanshen Cox (Pearl Street Films); producer/director Quan Lateef-Hill (BLACK GIRLS ROCK!); and actor Hisham Tawfiq (NBC's "THE BLACKLIST). Singer/songwriter Amira Unplugged is also tapped to perform and writer/director Nijla Mu'min (JINN) will receive the 2020 Harmon-Dixon Trailblazer Award.

Award-winning filmmaker Nia Malika Dixon launched the BMGFly Fest as an inclusive platform to expand cinematic narratives of Black women and highlight untold stories of Black Muslim women across the globe. "We know that stories told through film and TV have a unique ability to scale empathy, deepen understanding and connect hearts and minds," says Dixon of the fest's efforts to demystify ideas about Black Muslim culture. "Since our voices are not included in mainstream cinematic narratives, the BMGFly Festival exists as our means of harness our full creative freedom. We are creating a platform for Black Muslim creatives to connect, share and celebrate our stories with audiences worldwide."