This is the final case story in a series of four we researched while developing Prenups for Filmmakers and Faith Rooted Partners, commissioned by our friends at Hartley Media Impact Initiative at Auburn Seminary. Customized from our original model, these Prenups draw deeply on the candor and analysis of directors, clergy, impact producers, faith-based groups, funders, and others (sometimes unusual bedfellows) as they built trust around a film focused on surveillance. We are grateful to everyone — quoted or behind the scenes — who shared their wisdom with us.
Note: Like the other case stories referenced in these Prenups for Partners, the documentary a) features real-world tensions that affect people of faith, as told through the protagonists themselves, b) was created by a filmmaker who remains passionate about the people and issues involved, and c) is accompanied by a vision of how the story can contribute to effective social action.
Unlike the other three examples, American Muslim follows a “Do-It-Oneself” model, which is familiar to many filmmakers. Adam Zucker tends to direct, produce and edit his own work. His budgets tend to be low, enabling him to move into production without waiting for foundations or hard-to-reach donors to contribute. “I can honestly say I didn’t distinctly start or work on American Muslim with a specific plan of how it would impact. Storytelling-wise, with all my films, I explore areas and try to listen closely to figure out what the story of the film itself is.”
Table of Contents
American Muslim is a feature documentary film (2019, 82 minutes) about being Muslim in the Age of Trump. New York-based filmmaker Adam Zucker spent a year and a half with five diverse Muslim-Americans in Brooklyn and Queens, telling the story of people and communities struggling with increased Islamophobia and the Muslim ban. The political fight is interwoven with intimate, personal stories of a Palestinian-American community organizer, an Indonesian-American Imam, an Algerian-American social services provider, a Bengali-American small businessman, and a Yemeni-American activist. Each once an immigrant and now U.S. citizens, they are forced to navigate the changing landscape of being an American-Muslim. Intimate scenes unfold with increasing access, while the Muslim ban battle marches inexorably forward.
2017-2019 Production
2019-2021 Festivals, community screenings
Adam follows and learns from an “organic” process: building relationships with potential organizational and faith-rooted partners, and between other gigs, tries to work with them closely as they incorporate his film into their practice and community. He hopes the film will help:
The faith leader’s objectives
Muslim Community Network (MCN)
Brotherhood Synagogue
Multifaith activities wherein hosts invite diverse religious and cultural groups to their places of worship; follow the screening with a facilitated discussion led by the filmmaker and leaders of each community; and conclude with snacks, informal discussion, and socializing.
Targeted civic engagement. Screen the film in conjunction with voter registration efforts in Muslim communities in Wisconsin and Michigan, where voting rates are disproportionately low.
High profile events. Partner with human rights groups like Amnesty International and Muslim Advocates on public policy events in Washington DC to highlight the injustice of the Muslim Ban.
Policy awareness. In compliance with lobbying restrictions, educate residents of congressional districts where members of the Judiciary Committee reside about the No Ban Act.
Sustained relationships. Work closely with former national and local partners (including synagogues that screened The Return) to augment their existing efforts through use of American Muslim, including Hillel International (the organization heading hundreds of college campus Jewish communities), The Union for Reform Judaism, and Tr’uah (The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights)
Build on and localize the storyline. Using the film’s protagonists as inspiration, help interfaith groups identity partners — including mosques, synagogues, and church groups — to strengthen coalitions. Work together to sharpen objectives for using the film (when desired), and frame screening events to maximize impact.
Much of what Adam Zucker learned on a previous documentary, The Return (2014), has influenced his plans for American Muslim. The Return tells the story of four young Polish Jewish women who face the unique challenge of trying to forge an identity in a vacuum, with little knowledge of their heritage. Even though the protagonists and circumstances in these two films differ dramatically, both films have been embraced by universities, film festivals, and Jewish organizations. But American Muslim is far more headlines-driven and came out of a much more urgent motivation; Adam felt he “had to speak out against the Muslim ban.”
Here are some of the shifts Adam is making as he approaches partners for American Muslim:
Checking Assumptions: As The Return neared completion in 2013, Adam reached out to whom he thought would be a natural demographic: young American women on college campuses who would relate to the protagonists and how they balanced identity vs life choices. “But students weren’t interested: they’re really busy, they’ve got extracurricular activities, and if they’re going to see a movie, it might as well be Star Wars.” (Instead, interest from higher education came from international studies.)
Bespoke by design: Adam didn’t seek organized partnerships for The Return; the distribution plan included a robust round of screenings throughout the US and Europe, many of which featured Adam as the guest filmmaker. If organizations wanted to “frame” the film in a particular way, of course, they were welcome to do so, but Adam didn’t create a discussion guide or other ancillary materials. He simply offered links to cultural references on his website.
Preparing for American Muslim was quite different. Like most filmmakers, Adam built strong and trusting relationships with the protagonists in the film, and listened carefully to them as the film evolved. He became familiar with the various Muslim organizations that were organizing against the ban. “I didn’t have a preconceived agenda for how the film would be used,” he recalled. “I felt that they [the people he worked with] would be the best architects for their respective plans.”
Flexibility. While many campaigns research and then create a template for how a film should be optimally used in their impact campaign, Adam flips the model. For example, when xxx contacted Adam, he already knew he wanted to build bridges with other faiths in the Ft. Lauderdale area, particularly around Islamophobia and antisemitism. He wanted the discussion baked into an event, as opposed to more “top-down” screening. Adam agreed to help xxx select three key scenes from the film, between which various guests can speak directly to the audience, question each other, and set the tone for the next segment, even the next action.
Piloting. Since Adam promotes the screening opportunities through existing networks, he has the opportunity to learn from ‘early adaptors.’ Two initial interfaith gatherings helped him and his partners shape their future plans: “At both programs, a lot of Muslims and Jews acknowledged they had never really spoken with people from the other community before. People asked really astute questions.” As a result, several relationships were forged, which Adam and MC hope will happen at future events.
The Right Fit. Like most filmmakers, Adam wants as many partners as possible engaged with his film. But his principal partner is Muslim Community Network, the “premier Muslim organization for interfaith dialogue and collaboration in New York City. “Adam’s documentary will help us take our focus on civic education and leadership development to a new level as we work to shape the public narrative about what it means to be Muslim in America,” they asserted. Other partners who will use the documentary to advance their crucial work include ING.org, Muslim Advocates, and the Arab-American National Museum, and interfaith leaders such as Shoulder to Shoulder, and the Episcopal Church.
Adam’s plan is for American Muslim to be the centerpiece of what he and Muslim Community Network call The American Muslim Interfaith Project, “I’m not interested in re-creating the wheel,” Adam declared. “I’m a filmmaker; MCN is a trusted catalyst and community leader, really the perfect partner to help build and enhance the Project’s goals.”
“I’m not interested in re-creating the wheel…I’m a filmmaker; MCN is a trusted catalyst and community leader, really the perfect partner to help build and enhance the Project’s goals.” – Adam Zucker
Other significant working partners include leading Muslim organizations such as ING.org, Muslim Advocates, and the Arab-American National Museum. Collaborations are also in place with non-Muslim groups working in interfaith such as Shoulder to Shoulder, and the Episcopal Church. And Auburn Seminary has been supporting American Muslim since its inception and is eagerly looking to develop partnerships.
“One of my big messages for filmmaker colleagues is this: there are no doubt professionals in the field — festival folks or broadcaster, or distributors — who can see a film and somewhat objectively project what might happen,” Adam reasoned. “I don’t think that’s the job or skillset of someone who’s making the film. Of course, you think it’s great and important and everyone will want to see it. But if you really want to make a difference, leave the strategizing to people who live these experiences every day.”
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