Dear John,

The (virtual) 2021 Sundance Film Festival is a wrap and we are excited to share that our new venue, The Muslim House, was a huge success!

Creating a venue and home base for the Muslim creative community at Sundance is important because it provides a platform for Muslim voices at the festival. The Muslim House gives us the space to hold conversations with the industry about the importance of nuanced portrayals of Muslims on screen, inclusion and representation of Muslim writers, and telling our own stories.

This year we co-hosted three panels at The Muslim House that had a big impact on both audience members and industry leaders. Read what they had to say and learn more about these panels through the links below.

Middle Eastern Writers In Entertainment, in partnership with the Writers Guild Of America West’s Middle Eastern Writers Committee

“So thrilled to be here with all my people at The Muslim House, and especially for THIS conversation!” - Karim Ahmad, Director of Outreach & Inclusion at the Sundance Institute

“WOW—such a fantastic panel discussion! Our team joined and we are all talking about it!” - Casey Hindman, Festival Advancement Coordinator, Corporate Partnerships
A New Narrative: Championing Authentic Black Muslim Stories, in partnership with MACRO (Producers of Just Mercy, one of the honorees at our upcoming Media Awards)

 “I want to thank the Muslim Public Affairs Council for working alongside MACRO to bring this conversation to bear. I know it’s going to be something that’s going to inspire so many people. We’ve had the MACRO Lodge for 4 years at Sundance, and this year is the first year that there is actually a Muslim House. So I think that wheels are turning and progress is being made.”

- moderator Stacey Walker King, Chief Brand Officer, MACRO
POC Filmmakers Panel - in partnership with Blackhouse, The Latinx House, the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience, Illuminative, and MACRO. 

“What an incredible coming together of all our communities. The depth of sharing and conversation each participant brought to the panel was so heartwarming. Huge gratitude to everyone for uniting to show Sundance and the world how strong we are when we work together.” #unstoppable  - Brickson Diamond, Chairman, The Blackhouse Foundation
We are happy to say that the most inclusive Sundance in the festival’s 43-year history extended to films as well. The US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize went to CODA, a film by Siân Heder about a young woman who is the only hearing member of a deaf family. The US Documentary Grand Jury Prize went to Summer of Soul, a film by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival summer concert series that came to be known as “Black Woodstock”. Visit Sundance.org to learn more about this year’s award-winning and must-see films.

We are so grateful for your support that makes this work possible. Please RSVP for our upcoming Media Awards on March 20, where we will celebrate creatives who are making inclusion the norm in the industry. 
RSVP for MPAC's 29th Media Awards!
In peace,

Sue Obeidi
Director, MPAC’s Hollywood Bureau
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Founded in 1988, the Muslim Public Affairs Council improves public understanding and policies that impact American Muslims by engaging our government, media, and communities. Our vision is that America is enriched by the vital contributions of American Muslims.

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