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December

International Channels Lining Up for Spain Film
After months of negotiations with numerous international broadcasters, UPF is pleased to announce the arrangement of several international licenses for broadcast of the Spain film. For example, ZDF (Germany Television 2), YLE – Finland, and SBS Australia.
Arrangements are also being finalized with Al-Arabiyya, an Arabic satellite channel. UPF initiated most of these arrangements through presentatives at MIPCOM, the world's largest annual marketplace for international programming, which takes place at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

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August

 

Prince Re-Enactment Filming Complete

For one week in August, the historic Sotterly Plantation in St. Mary’s, Maryland, became the site of final re-enactment filming for Prince Among Slaves. The marketplace of Natchez, Mississippi, the fortuitous meeting between Abdul Rahman and Dr. Cox, an African battle and many other scenes were brought to life as Co-Directors Bill Duke and Andrea Kalin worked with UPF Executive Producers Michael Wolfe and Alex Kronemer to make it happen. The film will shortly enter the editing phase and is scheduled for February 2007 complete.

Michael Wolfe Concludes Meetings with The Reframing Perceptions Initiative
For the last 18 months, Michael Wolfe, co-Executive Producer, and numerous leaders of Muslim and interfaith organizations around the country have been working with foundations and social innovators from Seattle to New York to design and implement a long-term national effort aimed at improving mainstream perceptions of American Muslims and Islam. Beginning this fall, UPF will undertake a few media-oriented pilot projects that are in line with our expertise and strategic focus. We will update you on this interesting effort in subsequent newsletters.

 

 

July

 

Kronemer Speaks at World Economic Forum in Sharm-Al-Sheikh, Egypt

The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently invited UPF to participate in a conference in Sharm-Al-Sheikh, Egypt. Interacting with ambassadors and world leaders, UPF’s Alex Kronemer received a lot of encouragement and interest in the Spain film, for global broadcast. The film's potential for promoting Muslim-Western dialogue was underscored frequently during the meetings. An NGO based in Davos, Switzerland, WEF promotes peace and sustainability.

 

Spain Film Wins Prestigious CPB Grant

UPF is pleased to announce that PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting have jointly awarded our film Cities of Light a $200,000 Program Challenge Fund grant. A Challenge Fund grant is a first for UPF and an honor. It solidifies the commitment of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and essentially it commits PBS to a national broadcast. In its letter to UPF, CPB Vice President John Prizer and PBS Senior Vice President John Wilson wrote, “Thank you for bringing this film to the Program Challenge Fund. We think it will be a wonderful addition to the schedule and a hit with member stations and their audiences.” A rough cut of the film will soon be submitted to PBS. We expect that a broadcast date will be announced thereafter.

 

 

May

 

Spain Filming Complete, Editing Process Set to Begin

Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain Director Rob Gardner returned from a two-week, nonstop expedition through Spain, filming the historic art and architecture in Granada, Cordoba, Toledo, and the countryside. During this grueling expedition, the film crew travels in a two-bus caravan, darting from location to location as light and weather permit. The footage acquired this way will add great texture and realism to the film. It will be artfully combined with historical reenactments and scholars' interviews, during the editing process. Editing will continue through the summer.

 

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 and The Hartley Film Foundation. UPF is pleased to offer a small completion grant of $2500 to this unique interfaith effort. The film is expected to air on public television in 2006-2007.

 

Congress Considering Budget Cuts for Public Television

Congress is now considering a proposal to cut $201.5 million (almost 38 percent of overall federal support) in financial support for public broadcasting, which would seriously jeopardize the wonderful programming service provided by local NPR and PBS stations.   Almost 90 percent of the federal funding received by these stations across the country is used for station support. For info and easy way to register concerns with your senators and representatives visit: www.tellthempublicmatters.org.

 

Legacy to Air Nationwide on Bridges TV in June

With special permission from PBS, UPF's documentary film Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet will air nationwide on Bridges TV on Tuesday, June 20th, at 8pm. Bridges is now available on numerous cable, basic cable and satellite channels.  Visit www.bridges.tv for more details.

 

 

April

 

USIP Awards Grant for Spain Film Educator Outreach

UPF is pleased to announce a $50,000 grant from the United States Institute of Peace to help educators make optimal use of the film, Three Faiths in One Land: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain. The grant will be used to design a first-rate educational web site with entries on famous personalities and contributions of the period. USIP funds will also help us develop lesson plans, and offer free DVDs to the first 500 schools that agree to show the film and have students evaluate it. This grant was awarded through a competitive process with hundreds of applicants. The website will be launched upon broadcast of the film.

 

UPF Represented in Cannes

MIPTV is the world's premier audiovisual & digital content market. It's where the key decision-makers come to meet, talk and forge the business partnerships that will drive future growth on a global level. Each year, MIPTV’s conference takes place in Cannes, France. UPF was represented in person this year and approached foreign channels with the goal of identifying potential foreign customers for the Prince and Spain films. Several leads were generated and discussions will continue over the next 6 months.

 

Legacy Airs Nationwide on Danish TV

On April 22nd, UPF’s two-hour historical documentary Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet aired nationwide on DR, the oldest and largest electronic media enterprise in Denmark. Initial responses were favorable. Although viewership numbers are not yet available,, the Attaché to the Danish Embassy in Washington DC praised the broadcast as a worthwhile educational and bridge-building effort.

 

US Capitol Screening Draws Over 50 Congressional Offices

Congressional staffers organized a partial-screening of Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet at the US Capitol on April 5th, featuring Executive Producer Alex Kronemer and Georgetown’s Professor John Voll, an historian interviewed in the film. To a packed room of congressional staffers and members of Congress, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), praised the event and said, “There’s a lack of basic understanding. Before we talk about radical Islam, we don’t even know what Islam is.” Legacy DVDs were also distributed at no charge to all attendees. Thanks to the staffers and all Pioneer members who contacted their members of Congress to invite them to participate.

 

 

March

 

National Council of Churches Launches Pilot Project Using Legacy of a Prophet

 The National Council of Churches of Christ USA is conducting a multi-year program to help educate Christians about Islam for the purpose of removing stereotypes and increasing understanding by conducting screenings and seminars at churches nationwide. Their pilot project will feature screenings of Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet. NCCUSA will then evaluate the pilot, look to raise funds and conduct a wider campaign. NCCUSA is an umbrella organization representing over 110,000 Protestant Congregations with a collective membership of 45 million Christians.

 

 

February 2006

World Economic Forum C-100 Endorses UPF Project as “Number One Priority”
Ann outreach proposal to premiere UPF’s forthcoming film Muslim Spain recently received endorsement from The World Economic Forum. The Forum’s Council of 100 Leaders on West-Islamic World Dialogue (C-100) chose the proposal as its number one priority project of 2006.

The project goal is to conduct three major premiere screenings of UPF’s Spain film, one in the US, one in Europe and one in the Middle East, gathering hundreds of Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other stakeholders at each premiere, to view the film and discuss pluralism. As one of its centerpieces, the project will offer mini-grants for the best collaborative efforts proposed by two or more local faith groups. .

The World Economic Forum, which sponsors gatherings in Davos and Cairo every year, is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. The C-100, a major initiative of the Forum, is a community of 100 leaders in business, religion, media and politics that aims to promote cooperation and understanding between Western and Muslim countries.

This constitutes one of several big steps UPF has made recently into the national, international, and global funding world.

 

January 2006

CAIR's 'Explore the Life of Muhammad' Campaign sends out free Legacy DVD's
In an effort to counter misunderstandings caused by the Danish cartoon flap and subsequent events, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has launched a campaign called ‘Explore the Life of Muhammad.’  As part of the campaign, DVDs of UPF’s Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet film are being mailed out for free to those who request them. At this point, several thousand copies of the DVD have been requested.  To learn more visit www.cair-net.org.

UPF Approaching Broadcasters after Denmark Newspaper Cartoon Incident
In light of recent events in Europe and the Middle East prompted by the offensive Denmark newspaper cartoon, UPF recently contacted its distributor for Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, Tapestry International, about licensing the program to broadcasters worldwide.  Most broadcast schedules are booked months in advance so results may come in time. UPF is making the effort to address these unfortunate events through dialogue and education.