The 2024 Muslim List, presented by MPAC Hollywood Bureau and The Black List, has unveiled 10 standout scripts that spotlight the rich creativity and diverse storytelling of Muslim writers. This marks the third edition of the initiative, launched in 2020, which celebrates exceptional work across genres, from horror to social realism.
According to Deadline exclusive report, the Senior Vice President of MPAC Hollywood Bureau, Sue Obeidi emphasized the importance of these projects in addressing global challenges, said, “In a time where the national and global discourse is grappling with issues of division, identity, and the rise of hate-fueled violence, these projects bring forward hopeful and thought-provoking perspectives.”
Franklin Leonard, founder of The Black List, praised the selected writers and encouraged industry leaders to explore their work. “It has been a real joy over the past few years to celebrate great writing from and about the Muslim community with MPAC, and this year is of course no different,” Leonard said.
The selected writers are already garnering attention in the industry. Faisal Azam’s Salar earned Best Dramatic Short at the Austin Film Festival and was an Academy Award contender. Rusteen Honardoost serves as script coordinator on the Emmy-winning Stillwater. Samah Meghjee’s Quran Camp gained recognition on the 2024 GLAAD List and MUBI/WScripted’s Cannes Screenplay List. Other honorees include Nicole Ballivian, whose Sleeping On Stones was part of the Sundance-RAWI Screenwriters Lab, and Yossera Bouchita, a recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Production Grant.
Industry professionals can access the selected scripts directly through The Black List.
Here are the 10 scripts that are selected for the third Muslim List:
DHEGDHEER RETURNS – Miski Farah Ali & Ilyas Adiris (Feature)
A researcher heads to Somalia to collect samples of a mysterious meteorite that’s protected the locals from a terrifying spirit for centuries.
DO NOT COPY – Malik Malik & Mohamed Malik (Pilot)
In early 2000s New York City, a struggling filmmaker finds power and purpose in the criminal underworld of film piracy, before falling into a cat-and-mouse game with the FBI and studios hell-bent on stopping him.
DOWN & OUT IN TEHRANGELES – Rusteen Honardoost (Pilot)
A newly immigrated Iranian woman befriends a young, unhoused man living in the apartment next door and must hide his true identity from her self-obsessed family.
H8 – Faisal Azam & Erica Velis (Pilot)
When minority children start disappearing in a small Southern town, two exceptional FBI agents—one Black, one Pakistani-American—with colliding worldviews are called in to investigate. What they uncover reveals the heart of hatred in America and a vast, sinister conspiracy.
IMMIGRANTS – Mustafa Knight (Pilot)
Immigrants follows the misadventures of six unlikely friends through their trials and tribulations on what it really means to be American in America.
NURA – Karim Ahmad (Pilot)
In the year 2085, Nura is an elderly genius who lives in a radically advanced care facility that provides for her every need. But when her husband dies after a long struggle with dementia, Nura questions her life choices and craving new purpose, inadvertently summons a powerful cosmic force with a vital mission requiring Nura to venture across time, space, and parallel universes to save her own from an impending apocalypse.
QURAN CAMP – Samah Meghjee (Feature)
At a summer camp for Muslim tweens, shy and nerdy Tanveer doesn’t expect to find a crush – especially not one who’s her bunkmate.
SIMORGH – Farzin Farzam (Pilot)
In this two-hander, a grieving Iranian-American teen hacker decides to take revenge on the cop who murdered her mom while he is on a mission to hunt her down and kill her.
SLEEPING ON STONES – Nicole Ballivian (Feature)
Jacob, a 10-year old Jewish boy from New York, moves to the West Bank with his settler parents. To their dismay, Jacob’s best friends are Palestinian, and he comes of age under the occupation until turning 18, when he refuses to enlist into the Israeli military and is imprisoned.
YASMINE/JASMINE – Yossera Bouchtia (Feature)
After the sudden and mysterious death of her father, a grieving daughter starts to contend with haunting visitations from her doppelgänger and is forced to confront her mysterious past to reclaim a part of herself she never knew.
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