UK filmmaker launches crowdfunding campaign for Islamic social realism films

Photo: Conor Ibrahiem, Artistic Director, Arakan Creative / Courtesy Arakan Creative

Conor Ibrahiem wants to do for Islamic cinema what Charlie Chaplin once did for comedy. A former actor, UK-based Ibrahiem intends to create an entirely new genre of Islamic social realism. 

“The concept obviously exists,” he says. “You have got Ken Loach and Mike Leigh who are kind of the godfathers of that genre. But seldom do we see social realism dip into other cultures or other faiths, so I want to pioneer it in that respect.”

Ibrahiem, 39, from Bradford, started out as an actor and remained in the profession for around a decade until one day on a break he picked up a pen and began writing scripts. As his faith strengthened he decided to combine the two by starting Arakan Creative, a theatre production company.

His ambitions to become a filmmaker stem from a commission he received from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust to examine the topics of racial inequality and Islamaphobia. He had three years to deliver three different projects – a play, three short films and a comic book. He got the idea of entwining three separate films into one and Freesia was born.

Freesia, which he made on a budget of just under $39,000, looks at Muslim women’s rights, the fear of mosques and the far right. It is currently doing the rounds on the film festival circuit and received its first award in December when it won the Award of Merit at the Accolade Global Film Competition.

“Arakan started and remains a theatre company. However, whilst I was in the production phase of the film it dawned on me that if I can produce a film in effect cheaper than a theatre production, because my theatre productions have normally been around the 35,000 pounds mark, roughly, I think maybe I can do more. My intention now is to develop a film production out of the company using Freesia as a springboard,” he says.

By doing so he hopes to achieve five aims: to create a new genre of Islamic social realism; cater to Muslim audiences; produce something that is family-friendly; provide a platform for black and minority ethnic actors and produce films that are low-budget and high quality.

LAUNCHGOOD CAMPAIGN

He is using LaunchGood, a crowd fundraising site for Muslims, to help him achieve his aim. The campaign aims to raise 10,000 pounds– he has currently raised about a quarter of the goal.

The 10,000 pounds is intended to pay for courses which will help Arakan become proficient in film producing, distribution and the legalities of filmmaking. If the campaign raises more than its target then the surplus will go towards funding the sequel to Freesia, which Ibrahiem hopes will become the first film in a trilogy.

“Because we have limited funds I need this to grow on its strengths, so by that I mean look at the issues we are very familiar with, we have expertise in and in some ways we are fitting into expectations. If you see a Muslim filmmaker emerging, automatically people think they are probably going to look at something Islamic or cultural. I don’t mind fitting their expectations for now, but not forever,” says Ibrahiem.

“From the trilogy I hope we can do comedies, horrors, thrillers, the whole thing, really. I want to get to the point that I am producing art and film purely based on merits and that’s it and just show the world this is how it is to be done.”

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