RESOURCE GUIDEBOOK FOR EDUCATORS
Intermediate/Senior Films
Ten inspiring Muslim women every person should know includes: Ambreen Sadiq, Noor Tagouri, Kadra Mohamed, Mona Shindy; and many more.
Runtime: 2m
14 and Muslim 2018
Muslim teenagers are at a crossroads - remain in Islamic school or enter Catholic or public high school. With the way of the world, it's an interesting time to grow up as a young Muslim in Canada. 14andmuslim.com
See section 5.0 “Curriculum and Study Guides” for teacher’s guide and activities
Runtime: 12m each
5 Muslim Inventions That Changed the World 2017
Five Muslim inventions that changed the world: (1) coffee, (2) algebra, (3) universities, (4) cameras and (5) flying.
Runtime: 2m
A New Life in a New Land: The Muslim Experience in Canada 2015
This is a Canadian made website supported by the Canadian government, and the Saskatchewan School of Arts. It provides accurate and current information about Islam and Muslims in Canada. It has a three part documentary series narrated by Dawud Wharnsby about Muslims in Canada. The series also follows the arrival of the first Muslims in Canada - dating back 150 years.
See section 5.0 “Curriculum and Study Guides” for teacher’s guide and activities
Runtime: ~45m each
American Muslims: Facts vs. Fiction 2015
This short film by Unity Production Foundation provides answers backed by scientific research to the most frequent questions Americans ask about their Muslim neighbors. Visit www.americanmuslimfacts.com for more videos and to organize a screening.
See section 5.0 “Curriculum and Study Guides” for teacher’s guide and activities
Runtime: 11m
Americanish 2021
The 2021 CAAMFest Audience Award-winning film debut by Iman Zawahry takes place in Jackson Heights, Queens where two sisters and their fresh-off-the-boat cousin try all the conventional ways to earn the love and respect of their mother. [IMDB]
Runtime: 1h 31m
Are We Racist? Marketplace Investigation 2018
Although this Marketplace investigation looks at racism faced by a variety of racialized groups. There are social experiments done using women who wear the hijab and niqab to see the effects of racism in Canada. [CBC]
Runtime: 44m
Blind Trust Project 2015
In response to recent hate crimes and bullying against Muslims due to Islamophobia, we walked the streets of downtown Toronto to see the reactions of Canadians on how Muslims are made to feel because of false media portrayals. The response was touching and inspiring.
Runtime: 3m
For the eight young men in the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, “brotherhood” is literal: they're all sons of anti-establishment jazz legend, Phil Cohran. Cohran and their mothers raised them together on Chicago's South Side on a strict diet of jazz, funk and Black consciousness. [IMDB]
Runtime: 1h 27m
This is the story of one man who stood guard at Masjid Al Aqsa for 57 years. But who was he and why did he do it? [Ilmfeed]
Runtime: 5m
This Netflix drama series set in the Thirteenth century is based on the historical figure of Ertugrul Ghazi, the father of Osman who founded the Ottoman Empire, It depicts his heroic story and presents Islam in a nuanced and detailed manner.
Runtime: 1h 15m - 1h 25m
What does this gorgeous street art say? It's Arabic poetry, inspired by bold graffiti and placed where a message of hope and peace can do the most good. In this quietly passionate talk, artist and TED Fellow eL Seed describes his ambition: to create art so beautiful it needs no translation.
See section 5.0 “Curriculum and Study Guides” for teacher’s guide and activities
Runtime: 5m
Noor Inayat Khan grew up in a home that fostered faith and hope. Throughout the 1930s, an unimaginable evil tore through Europe, as Hitler's Third Reich terrorized its way to domination. During these tumultuous times, a young Muslim woman living in Paris found her calling.
See section 5.0 “Curriculum and Study Guides” for teacher’s guide and activities
Runtime: 60m
This award-winning documentary follows a predominantly Arab-American high school football team from a working - class Detroit suburb as they practice for the big game during the last ten days of Ramadan, revealing a community holding onto its Islamic faith while they struggle for acceptance in post 9/11 America.
Runtime: 1h 32m
Inscribed in stone, along with tens of thousands of other missing war dead, are the names of Muhammad Aslam, Abdullah Khan, Ahmad Khan and Muhammad Usman. Visit the Menin Gate at Ypres in Belgium and you will see these and numerous other obviously Muslim names on the memorial that is dedicated to the commemoration of soldiers killed in the Ypres Salient.
Runtime: 4m
Aasif Mandvi's sitcom/parody web-series (4 episode web series) is about an all-American Muslim family. Halal in the Family aims to combat bias and challenge misconceptions about Muslims and communities associated with Muslims.
Runtime: 6m each
Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King, the story of “New Brown America,” is based on true events from Minhaj's first generation Indian - American experience. Navigating between two worlds, it follows Minhaj's arrival in the U.S., interracial love, racism and bullying.
Runtime: 1h 12m
Fatma and her son Majed fled Syria for the safety of Toronto, but their troubles are far from over. Hockey Mom looks at what happens after “year one” ends. [Curio]
Runtime: 44m
Over 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes to escape famine, climate change and war in the greatest human displacement since World War II. Human Flow, an epic film journey led by the internationally renowned artist Ai Weiwei, gives a powerful visual expression to this massive human migration. [IMDB] https://gem.cbc.ca/human-flow
Runtime: 2h 20m
A documentary about the most oppressed people on Earth. They will not be erased. They will not be silenced.
Runtime: 1h 30m
Watching this enthralling documentary, one inevitably wonders how Islam, a beautiful religion, could have become synonymous with fear and hatred, even after 9/11. Inside Islam explores the historic and poetic wellspring of the Muslim people and illuminates startling commonalities among Islam, Christianity and Judaism. [Amazon]
Runtime: 1h 33m
This video series covers the following topics: animal welfare, charity, education, environment, health care, social justice and women's rights.
Runtime: 2-4m each
Katy Perry is the executive producer of a video telling the story of Haru Kuromiya, who was incarcerated by the American government during World War II.
Runtime: 3m
PBS documentary on Islamic history that focuses on faith, culture, innovations and profiles.
Runtime: 2h 40m
Lesley Hazleton sat down one day to read the Koran. and what she found — as a non-Muslim, a self-identified “tourist” in the Islamic holy book — wasn't what she expected. With serious scholarship and warm humor, Hazleton shares the grace, flexibility and mystery she found, in this myth-debunking talk.
Runtime: 10m
Life Without Basketball takes us inside the life of Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir. As a record-breaking high school star and college athlete, her life as a basketball player had structure and a clear forward path. Bilqis was raised to follow the Quran and has been wearing hijab since the age of fourteen.
Runtime: 1h 38m
This Canadian sitcom takes place in the fictional rural prairie town of Mercy, Saskatchewan. It was never the same after a cast of unlikely characters set up shop. See, these folks lean on the Middle East side of things and bring with them a culture that is not only foreign, it also creates wonderfully comedic moments that touch on all aspects of society and religion.
Runtime: 23m each episode
This biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader chronicles his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam, to his eventual acceptance of Orthodox Islam. See his transition in this epic movie. [IMDB]
Runtime: 3h 22m
This PBS documentary tells the story of the seventh century prophet who changed world history in 23 years, and continues to shape the lives of more than 1.2 billion people. The film takes viewers not only to ancient Middle Eastern sites where Muhammad's story unfolds, but into the homes, mosques and workplaces of some of America's estimated seven million Muslims.''
See section 5.0 “Curriculum and Study Guides” for teacher’s guide and activities
Runtime: 1h 56m
This documentary examines Islam's worldwide resurgence through the stories of diverse Muslims struggling to define the role of Islam in their lives and societies.
Runtime: 1h 56m
Documentary on the diversity of people who joined the British Empire's cause in Europe during World War I, many with different reasons and expectations.
Runtime: 60m
This is the amazing true story of Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori, an African prince enslaved in the American South.
See section 5.0 “Curriculum and Study Guides” for teacher’s guide and activities
Runtime: 60m
A short documentary about a young Muslim Newfoundlander returning to his home province to share a message of hope in a time of great economic uncertainty.
Runtime: 21m
Two American filmmakers (Zach Ingrasci and Chris Temple) travel to the edge of war to live with 85,000 Syrian refugees in the Za'atari camp. Experience the heartbreak and hope on the frontlines of the refugee crisis in this film. [Amazon]
Runtime: 1h 15m
Filmmaker Joshua Seftel, who as a child was taunted by other kids because he was Jewish, created a new documentary series, “The Secret Life of Muslims,” to explore the stories of Muslims in America.
Runtime: <5m each
A series of intimate, 10-minute portraits, explores the lives and beliefs of six young people whose usual places of worship are beautiful and historic mosques across the Muslim world. The film documents their journeys as they leave their homes and families, follow them as they travel to Saudi Arabia, and share their responses to the culmination of their journeys of a lifetime. [shop.pbs.org]
Runtime: 1h 15m
On February 10, 2015, Suzanne Barakat's brother Deah, her sister-in-law Yusor and Yusor's sister Razan were murdered by their neighbor in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The perpetrator's story, that he killed them over a traffic dispute, went unquestioned by the media and police until Barakat spoke out at a press conference, calling the murders what they really were: hate crimes.
Runtime: 15m
Javid Jah is an architect and street artist. He was commissioned to paint the dome of Madina Mosque in Toronto. He ended up painting it by hand over the span of a year. This is how he did it!
Runtime: 24m
Two men of faith, one a traveling Christian preacher, the other the ruler of a Muslim Empire, backed by a century of war, distrust, and insidious propaganda search for mutual respect and common ground. It is the story of Francis of Assisi and the Sultan of Egypt, and their meeting on a bloody battlefield during the period of Christian - Muslim conflict known as the Crusades.
Runtime: 58m
A documentary on how the opposition to building a mosque in New Jersey created friendships between different faith communities.
See section 5.0 “Curriculum and Study Guides” for teacher’s guide and activities
Runtime: 57m
When journalist Assia Boundaoui investigates rumors of surveillance in her Arab-American neighborhood in Chicago, she uncovers one of the largest FBI terrorism probes conducted before 9/11 and reveals its enduring impact on the community. [IMDB]
Runtime: 1h 26m
In accordance with Islamic law, director Moustapha Akkad's biopic of Mohammad never actually depicts the prophet himself, but rather outlines his story through the lives of certain cardinal figures in his life. [IMDB]
Runtime: 3h
This documentary paints a picture of Arab men that is vastly different from what we're accustomed to. In this antidote to mainstream - media depictions of Arabs as terrorists and extremists, we get to meet Jay, Ghassan and their friends, who gather at Jamal's Eden Barber Shop to discuss politics, religion and family over a cut and a shave.
Runtime: 52m
The Turkish Passport tells the story of diplomats posted to Turkish Embassies and Consulates in several European countries, who saved numerous Jews during the Second World War. Based on the testimonies of witnesses, who traveled to Istanbul to find safety, the Turkish Passport also uses written historical documents and archive footage to tell this story. [IMDB]
English subtitles (film is in French and Turkish)
Runtime: 1h 40m
Although generations of Spanish rulers have tried to expunge this era from the historical record, recent archeology and scholarship now shed fresh light on the Moors who flourished in Al-Andalus for more than 700 years – from 711 AD until 1492. The Moorish advances in mathematics, astronomy, art and agriculture helped propel Europe out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance.
Runtime: 3m
What do you think when you look at this speaker? Well, think again (and then again!) In this funny, honest, empathetic talk, Yassmin Abdel - Magied challenges us to look beyond our initial perceptions, and to open doors to new ways of supporting others.
See section 5.0 “Curriculum and Study Guides” for teacher’s guide and activities
Runtime: 14m
Your Last Walk in the Mosque details the horrific events of that night through the recollections of the survivors, including from those were severely injured in the attack or who witness the terror unfold. For the first time on film, we hear what impact the shooting had on the families of those who were killed as they share their harrowing reflections of loss and trauma. [IMDB]
Runtime: 51m