On this edition of The Halal Gap, we bring you a very special episode: the panel discussion from our 2nd annual ‘Opening Credits’ event on October 13th, 2023. For the 2nd year in a row, the Mosquers Film Festival was kicked off with ‘Opening Credits’, an event where 300 Muslim creatives and representatives from organizations that seek to platform them came together. The panel, hosted by Sikandar Atiq, features Hoda Ali, Community Impact Coordinator at Toronto International Film Festival, ‘Mustache’ director and writer, Imran J. Khan, Kajsa Erickson, Manager of Telefilm Canada’s Talent Fund, and Emmy award-winning documentary producer, Lisa Valencia-Svensson. Opening Credits would not have been possible without the support of our partners at Inspirit Foundation and Warner Brothers Discovery Access. Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq31 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Panelists: Hoda Ali @thatgirlhoda, Kajsa Erickson @telefilm_canada, Lisa Valencia-Svensson, Imran J. Khan @imranjkhan Producer: Asif Quraishi @sifq Videographer: Yousuf Iqbal @yi_studios Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers: https://www.themosquers.com https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest? https://twitter.com/themosquers https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/

Imran J. Khan joins us from LA! Imran talks to Sikandar and Sofia about his new feature film “Mustache,” a story about a 13 year old Pakistani American boy who struggles to accept himself after transferring from Islamic school to public school in the late 1990’s. Imran talks about authentically representing Muslims and tells us why he thought “Mustache” would never get made. Plus, he takes us behind the curtain on casting and directing young Brown actors, production design, and much, much, more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq31 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Imran J. Khan @imranjkhan Producer & YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Quraishi @sifq Sound Editor: Vikram Chouhan @whitenoisetunes Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed @naarmz and Salman Mahmood @mr.salmanmahmood The Mosquers return October 13-14, 2023! Submit your short film here: https://www.themosquers.com/submit. Join our new Discord community for Muslim creatives here: https://discord.gg/fTJZxZfjUA. Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers: https://www.themosquers.com https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest? https://twitter.com/themosquers https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/

Hassan Phills joins us live in Edmonton! Hassan talks to Sikandar about quitting basketball before his senior year to go all-in on comedy, the moment he realized Drake was following him on Instagram, and how he finessed his way into opening for Hasan Minhaj. Plus, we talk his early comedy influences, doing extra work, his vlogging days, and much, much, more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq123 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Hassan Phills @hassanphills Producer & YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Quraishi @sifq Editor: Vikram Chouhan @whitenoisetunes Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed @naarmz and Salman Mahmood @mr.salmanmahmood Production Assistant: Yonus Shaik @yonusshake Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers:www.themosquers.com https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest? https://twitter.com/themosquers https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/

Amal Dalmar joins us from SoCal! Amal talks to Sofia about how she went from completing the thesis for her Masters in Law to working for BuzzFeed as a creative producer in a matter of a few days! We also get into “Dinner, Inshallah?”, the USHUB original docu-series she hosted which highlights Muslim American communities and their relationship with food. Plus, we talk about her chance encounter with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, We Are Lady Parts, One Tree Hill vs The O,C., and much, much, more! Host: Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Amal Dalmar @itsamalworld Producer & YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Quraishi @sifq Sound Engineer: Vikram Chouhan @whitenoisetunes Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed @naarmz and Salman Mahmood @mr.salmanmahmood Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers: www.themosquers.com https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest? https://twitter.com/themosquers https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/

Mohamed Ahmed aka Just Moe joins us live and in person in Edmonton! Moe chats with Sikandar about trying to connect to the work of his grandfather, famous Sudani poet Ismail Hassan. Then, Moe sheds light on his experience at theatre school, including some questionable casting decisions. We get into his music career and how his approach differs from acting. Plus, Moe and Sikandar chat about the Edmonton arts scene, Scottie Barnes, Donald Glover, and much, much, more! Host: Sikandar Atiq @satiq31 Guest: Just Moe (Mohamed Ahmed) @iamjustmoe Producer & YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Quraishi @sifq Editor: Vikram Chouhan @whitenoisetunes Researcher: Zaid Hassan @zaid.hass Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed @naarmz and Salman Mahmood @mr.salmanmahmood Injured Reserve: Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers: www.themosquers.com https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest?https://twitter.com/themosquers https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/

Photographer Simrah Farrukh joins us from the Bay Area! Simrah chats with Sikandar and Sofia about her exhibit ‘The Brown Gaze’, shooting Never Have I Ever’s Maitreyi Ramakrishnan for Netflix, and how Pakistani poetry influences her photography. Simrah also discusses taking a step back from Instagram, and how social media can be toxic for an artist. Plus, we get into Bratz dolls, networking advice, Rugrats, and much, much more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq31 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Simrah Farrukh @simrahfarrukh Producer & YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Quraishi @sifq Editor: Vikram Chouhan @whitenoisetunes Researcher: Zaid Hassan @zaid.hass Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed @naarmz and Salman Mahmood @mr.salmanmahmood Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers:www.themosquers.com https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest? https://twitter.com/themosquers https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/

Kashif Pasta joins us from Seattle! Kashif chats with Sikandar and Sofia about his early beginnings in film and his STORYHIVE series “Welcome to Surrey”. We get into Desirée Dawson’s “Meet You At The Light” music video, produced by Kashif’s company Dunya Media, which picked up multiple awards at the 2022 South by Southwest Festival. Kashif tells us all about his new sci-fi short “Desi Standard Time Travel'' and why it’s important for him to center Muslims and South Asians in his work. Plus, we talk about the future of AI in filmmaking, Hasan Minhaj, TikTok, and much, much more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq31 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Kashif Pasta @kashifpasta @dunyamedia Producer & YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Quraishi @sifq Editor: Vikram Chouhan @whitenoisetunes Researcher: Zaid Hassan @zaid.hass Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed @naarmz and Salman Mahmood @mr.salmanmahmood Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers:www.themosquers.com https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest https://twitter.com/themosquers https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/

Content creator and host of the Salaam Nerds podcast WatchWithNeebz joins us from New Jersey! Neebz tells us about his first time at Comic Con and being suspected of murder. Neebz talks about The Bachelor & The Bachelorette and why it’s important for diverse voices to be part of the conversation on reality dating shows. Later, Neebz, Sikandar, and Sofia dive deep into what they loved and didn’t love about Ms. Marvel. Plus, we talk Midnight Mass, The Little Mermaid, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and much, much more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq123 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: WatchWithNeebz @watchwithneebz @salaamnerdspodcast Producer and YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Quraishi @sifq Editor: Vikram Chouhan @whitenoisetunes Researcher: Zaid Hassan @zaid.hass Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed @naarmz and Salman Mahmood @mr.salmanmahmood Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers: www.themosquers.com https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest https://twitter.com/themosquers https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/

Yazmeen Kanji joins us from Toronto! Yazmeen talks to Sikandar and Sofia about her early interest in advocacy, starting in the 5th grade. Yazmeen talks about her influences in film and entertainment and growing up with Bollywood and Disney shows like Cheetah Girls and That’s So Raven. After winning a short film contest in high school, she recounts a formative conversation on the set of Saving Hope with Erica Durance. We learn about how her passion for both film and social justice led to her starting Films With A Cause. Later, Yazmeen tells us about her next narrative short film, One Day, about a Muslim teen who day dreams. Plus - we get into Ramy’s Steve Way, Ted Lasso, and much, much more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq123 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Yazmeen Kanji @yazmeenkanji @director.yazmeen Producer & YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Quraishi @sifq Editor: Vikram Chouhan @whitenoisetunes Researcher: Zaid Hassan @zaid.hass Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed @naarmz Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers: www.themosquers.com https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest? https://twitter.com/themosquers https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/ Skillshare: https://skillshare.eqcm.net/halalgap

Alex Kronemer, co-founder of Unity Production Foundation, joins us on The Halal Gap from DC! Alex talks to Sofia and Sikandar about his early life in Pennsylvania as well as his 10 year career in government, which included a stint working for Al Gore’s Reinventing Government team. Alex talks about how his first time at Hajj inspired him to get into filmmaking, UPF’s projects and initiatives including the animated film Lamya’s Poem, and his latest project - The Great Muslim American Road Trip! Tune in to hear that and much, much more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq123 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Alex Kronemer @upftv Producer: Asif Quraishi @sifq Editor: Vikram Chouhan @whitenoisetunes Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed @naarmz Follow our new Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/thehalal_gap. The Halal Gap is a Mosquers Film Festival production. Keep up to date with the Mosquers: www.themosquers.com https://www.instagram.com/mosquersfilmfest/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mosquersfilmfest? https://twitter.com/themosquers https://www.facebook.com/mosquersfilmfest/ Skillshare: https://skillshare.eqcm.net/halalgap