Category Archives: Releases

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 20 and to VOD next Tuesday, September 24: THE MUSLIMS ARE COMING!

Negin Farsad and Dean Obeldallah’s Muslim-American comedy tour against Islamophobia made its debut at the Austin Film Festival last year, where it picked up the audience award. Other stops included deadCENTER, Chicago Palestine, and several other festivals. Its limited theatrical premiere is followed with a release by FilmBuff on iTunes, Amazon, and cable VOD.

Concerned with the rise of fear-mongering and prejudice against Muslims in America in the decade after 9/11, a pair of stand-up comics round up fellow Muslim-Americans, plus a Jewish friend, to embark on a roadtrip through the South and middle America. Along the way, they book free comedy showcases in an effort to combat myths and misperceptions about what the mainstream media paints as the radical Islamification of the nation, while also engaging in schticky public teach-ins like “Hug A Muslim,” “Name That Religion,” and “Ask A Muslim.” These bits, like their unexpectedly ribald comedy routines, are mostly mildly diverting rather than uproariously funny, but they do get the simple but unfortunately necessary message across that an entire religion shouldn’t be demonized due to the actions of extremists. Celebrity commentators, from Jon Stewart and David Cross to Rachel Maddow and Soledad O’Brien, echo this overall sentiment in a fairly conventional doc with a surfeit of really annoying music, though it should be said that the protagonists are likeable enough to keep the viewer engaged.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 20: FREE THE MIND

Phie Ambo’s look at the potential of meditation to rewire the brain made its debut at Denmark’s DOXBIO last year. Other fest stops included CPH:DOX, IDFA, Göteborg, Docville, Planete+ Doc, Hot Docs, Milwaukee, Martha’s Vineyard, and DOXA, among others.

I included the doc in my Hot Docs coverage here.

Coming to NYC’s Maysles Cinema today, Monday, September 16: PRICE OF GOLD

Sven Zellner’s look at the dangerous world of Mongolian gold miners made its world premiere at Hot Docs last year. It went on to screen at the Brooklyn Film Festival, Belgrade’s Beldocs, Filmfest München, and DocuWest, among others.

For the past decade, Mongolian gold-digging nomads – colloquially known as “ninjas” – have sidestepped laws and their personal beliefs to seek what little profit they can from the Gobi Desert. Mineral rights have long ago been sold to and exploited by foreign companies, and the work locally is viewed as taboo, but in a region with few other opportunities, these rough-and-ready men find no choice but to subject themselves to the degraded and dangerous work, which takes months and involves toxic mercury and dynamite. Resigned to their fate, these men – only one woman is present, a put-upon cook – are followed for months by Zellner as they risk their lives for negligible profits, his camera impressively allowing viewers to experience the claustrophobic conditions they face. While the ambivalence and shame the ninjas express about their activities is intriguing, this is never explored in much depth, leaving the film without a strong enough impact beyond its exposure of an unusual and desperate practice.