Asif Kapadia, Al Rasheed among winners at inaugural Muslim Intl Film Fest

The first Muslim International Film Festival (MIFF), which ran from May 30 to June 2 in London, saw Amjad Al Rasheed’s debut feature Inshallah A Boy taking the best feature award while veteran documentarian Asif Kapadia walked away with the festival’s honorary Trailblazer Award.

The festival was launched by producer Sajid Varda to champion "narratives of international Muslim filmmakers and highlight their compelling stories".

The festival included eight feature films, two sets of short films, as well as panels and networking opportunities.

This year’s competition jury featured Claudia Yusef (Head of Development at BBC Films), Leon Oteng (Production Inclusion Manager at BFI Filmmaking Fund), Neila Butt (Creative Diversity Lead, Nations and Regions at Channel 4), Tas Brooker (filmmaker, When We Speak), actor Youssef Kerkour (Channel 4’s Home).

Accepting the best feature award, Rasheed said: “I’m honored to be competing with these great films and winning Best Feature at the Muslim International Film Festival. Thank you MIFF, thank you jury.”

Inshallah A Boy debuted in the Critics Week sidebar at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival before it travelled to a host of festivals, including Red Sea, Bengaluru, and Thessaloniki.

Accepting the award, Kapadia said, “A recurring theme in my work is my interest in exploring ‘outsiders’, those who may not conform or fit into the power systems around them. Becoming a film director, a writer, a producer or indeed working on the crew in the film industry isn’t an obvious or simple choice for someone born in Hackney to working-class British Indian Muslim parents during the 70s.”