| Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Omar Majeed |
| Produced by | EyeSteelFilm Mila Aung-Thwin (producer) Daniel Cross (executive producer) |
| Written by | David Oliveras |
| Starring | Michael Muhammad Knight Basim Usmani, Shahjehan Khan, Arjun Ray, Imran Malik (The Kominas) Marwan (of Al Thawra) Koroush (of Vote Hezbollah) Sena (of Secret Trial Five) |
| Music by | Omar Waqar |
| Cinematography | Mark Ellam Zachary Dylan Fay |
| Editing by | Maxime Chalifoux Omar Majeed |
| Distributed by | EyeSteelFilm |
| Release date(s) | 19 October 2009 |
| Running time | 80 min. |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Taqwacore (full title Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam) is a 2009 documentary by director Omar Majeed produced by EyeSteelFilm about a number of Taqwacore bands and performers touring the United States and Pakistan. The documentary was filmed during three years 2007 to 2009.
The documentary Taqwacore is one of two films based on on Michael Muhammad Knight's book The Taqwacores. In 2008, the book had been made into a feature film by director Eyad Zahra[1] starring actress Noureen DeWulf as Rabeya, actress Rasika Mathur as Fatima, and actor Bobby Naderi as Yusef. The film will make its premier at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Also, the film hits select theaters in Los Angeles and Irvine on November 12.[2]
Contents |
Many characters are featured in the documentary. Main characters include:
The Pakistani punkers The Kominas have arrived at the last stop of their first USA tour and are celebrating with tourmates. Also appearing are the author Michael Muhammad Knight ("The Taqwacores"), Koroush (Vote Hezbollah), Sena (Secret Trial Five) and Marwan (Al-Thawra). They incite a riot of young hijabi girls at the largest Muslim gathering in North America after Sena takes the stage.
The film then travels with The Kominas accompanied by Michael Muhammad Knight, their guru, to Pakistan, where they bring punk to the streets of Lahore and elsewhere in Pakistan. Michael also begins to reconcile his fundamentalist past with the rebel he has now become.
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