SYNOPSIS

UPF Awards Grant to Young Jewish-Muslim Filmmaking Team

UPF is pleased to announce a grant to an innovative documentary from Foment Films, entitled A Son's Sacrifice. This unique 30-minute film unites the visions of two first generation American filmmakers from very different backgrounds. Co-produced by Yoni Brook, the son of a Jewish Israeli immigrant, and Musa Syeed, the son of Muslim Kashmiri immigrants, the film shows how the struggle to define one's identity spans religion and nationality. The Executive Producer, Marco Williams, a professor at NYU Film School, is renowned for his groundbreaking film, Two Towns of Jasper, which explores a community racially divided over the brutal 1998 murder of an African-American boy in Jasper, Texas.

A Son's Sacrifice follows the journey of Imran Uddin, a young Muslim who confronts his roots at a halal slaughterhouse in New York City. Like many first generation children of immigrants, Imran was born to a hardworking father who hopes his son will surpass him to become a successful American. Caught between an innate desire to preserve his Bangladeshi heritage and the pressure to develop into the all-American man his father envisions, Imran decides to take over his father's business, an old-fashioned slaughterhouse that caters to the halal dietary needs of its Muslim clientele. The filmmakers document Imran's experience as he finds his identity during an annual ritual that forces him to define himself as a Muslim and a son.

During the holiday of Eid-al-Adha, when Muslims are commanded to slaughter an animal and distribute part of the meat to the poor, hundreds of Muslim families are drawn to the Uddin's slaughterhouse in Queens. The celebration holds symbolic meaning for the fathers who pass this tradition onto their sons, but it also requires grueling work from the men who run the slaughterhouse. A Son's Sacrifice takes into the inner life of Imran as he confronts his father, his faith, and his community, ultimately claiming his own unique place in multicultural America. The film has already received funding from The Harvard University Pluralism Project, The Independant Television Service (ITVS) and The Hartley Film Foundation. UPF is pleased to offer a small completion grant of $3000 to this unique interfaith effort. The film is expected to air on public television in 2006-2007.

For more details visit A Son's Sacrifices website: www.sonsacrifice.com