There are few films that center or affirm the lives of queer Muslims. Through Eman, our film aims to convey the beauty and complexity of this intersectional identity. This is a mother-daughter love story that reveals the often unseen intricacies of coming out and of seeking common ground and family.
There are few films that center or affirm the lives of queer Muslims. Through Eman, our film aims to convey the beauty and complexity of this intersectional identity. This is a mother-daughter love story that reveals the often unseen intricacies of coming out and of seeking common ground and family.
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Story
Mission Statement
It’s been imperative to us to tell this story with the complexity and nuance it deserves. We’re a diverse team of filmmakers and the women-led key creative team includes BIPOC and queer folx at various intersections. We've been documenting Eman’s journey for more than six years.About The Project
“I feel like she doesn’t recognize me.
I feel like I’m kind of a stranger.
And I don’t want to go one step further.”
- Eman (daughter)
28-year-old queer Muslim woman, Eman, is a second generation Palestinian-Egyptian scholar living in Brooklyn, NY. She finds herself grappling with the decision to come out to her devout, psychiatrist mother, even though she has left hints time and time before. To prolong coming out, Eman marries her current boyfriend to give the appearance of strictly straight relationship interests. The story unfolds through intimate vérité scenes that capture how Eman struggles to navigate the expectations of all sides of her identity. Despite fearing she might push her mother away, Eman sets off on a journey of self-realization as new opportunities unfold in direct response.
COMING AROUND rejects the traditional “coming out story” where the film’s success hinges on this moment. Instead, it is a story that reveals the often unseen intricacies involved in deciding whether to come out, and it shows what it takes to find common ground, especially in religious communities and communities of color. Throughout her life, Eman has found safety in her Muslim community, while living in a country that is often not safe for Muslims. Yet now, she risks damaging those relationships due to her claiming her queerness.
WHY ARE WE MAKING THIS FILM?
I originally met Eman during grad school, and at the time she wasn’t publicly out. After the Orlando shooting in 2016, Eman decided it was time to claim both her queer and Muslim identities. She became an activist for her community, but she hadn’t come out to her mother. I found this an interesting premise for a film, and Eman and I embarked on this journey together.
My interest towards Eman’s story stems from a couple things: The mother-daughter relationship, having myself grown up in a household of my mother, my sister and I, but also my own process of understanding my own sexuality, being fluid but always ending up in hetero relationships, and finding the language to talk about it.
I try to ensure that my work is as inclusive as possible because documentary filmmaking has a long and problematic history characterized by eurocentrism. I tend to work with diverse crews because that’s how my personal and professional circles are, and I want the film to resonate with people at various intersections, with an emphasis on not homogenizing the experience. Having the support of a diverse crew really helps behind the scenes in terms of accurate portrayal, decision making and defining our audiences and how we cater to them: Chelsi Bullard (Producer), Uwa Iduozee (DP), Sarah Ibrahim (Composer), Rabab Haj Yahya (Consulting Editor) and Bianca Beyrouti (Crowdfunding Consultant).
WHY ARE WE FUNDRAISING?
This film has been 6 years in the making. In the beginning, we funded it from our personal savings. But more recently, we’ve been honored to be supported by a number of grants and fellowships (Gotham Documentary Feature Lab, NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship program, Brooklyn Arts Council, Berlinale Diversity and Inclusion DocSalon etc.).
But making a film isn’t cheap, and while these grants and labs have been essential, they’ve only covered a fraction of our costs. We have filmed more than 120 hours of footage in three different cities, edited the material into a film, and now we need your help to bring it to the finish line. All funds raised on Seed&Spark will be spent on necessary post-production costs: Composing, color grade and sound design & mix. Without these final post-production steps, there’s no film. Our composer Sarah A. Ibrahim, sound designer Gisela Fullà-Sivestre and colorist (N/A) will get to work as soon as we raise the money. Your contributions will make all the difference.
SO HOW DOES THIS SEED & SPARK THING WORK?1. YOU MAKE A CONTRIBUTION, YOU GET A REWARD!
Take a look at the rewards listed to the right, including a link to the finished film and tickets to a screening of your choice, and see what takes your fancy. Once funding is completed, your name will appear on the supporters page of our website/end credits, and we will send you any other rewards as soon as possible.
2. IF WE DON’T RAISE AT LEAST 80% OF OUR TARGET AMOUNT BY THE END OF OUR CAMPAIGN, WE DON’T GET ANYTHING!
If we are short of our goal at the deadline, everyone’s pledges will be voided and no rewards handed out! PLEASE help us prevent this from happening!
3. IF WE RAISE MORE THAN OUR TARGET AMOUNT, WE GET TO KEEP IT ALL!
Any additional dollars raised will go directly towards other crucial post-production costs, such as hiring a graphic designer, and so on.
***If you need a tax deduction in the United States, please contact us for more information.***
WHERE DID WE GET OUR FUNDING UNTIL THIS POINT?
In the beginning, we funded this film from our personal savings. But more recently, we’ve been honored to be supported by a number of grants and fellowships:
- Gotham Documentary Feature Lab & Gotham Week
- NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship program
- Brooklyn Arts Council
- Berlinale Diversity and Inclusion DocSalon
- DOK Leipzig / DOK Industry
- Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike)
- Only in New York DOC NYC
- p.h. balanced films
But making a film isn’t cheap, and while these grants and labs have been essential, they have only covered a fraction of our costs. Your contribution will make all the difference.
HOW CAN YOU HELP FURTHER?Low on cash? Spread the word! Send this project to 5 or 10 of your friends, family, and anyone else you can think of! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to see updates on our progress.
Feel free to copy and paste!There are few films that center or affirm the lives of queer Muslims. Join the team behind this mother-daughter love story @comingarounddoc (IG) / @comingaroundfilm (FB) and help bring this beautiful project to the finish line. Support them on https://seedandspark.com/fund/coming-around#story
I just watched the @comingarounddoc (IG) / @comingaroundfilm (FB) pitch video and WOW, you’ve got to support this beautiful mother-daughter love story that reveals the often unseen intricacies of coming out and of seeking common ground. Join them: https://seedandspark.com/fund/coming-around#story
THANK YOU!
Incentives
$10
Love Is Love
Thanks for standing with us! You will receive our eternal gratitude, a shoutout on social media and a couple updates on the film and its release.
$25
Let’s Get Educated
You have our eternal gratitude and will receive a couple updates on the film +
- a personalized thank-you email
- a mention on our website & social media
- flash card with facts or trivia about our subject matter
- our GIF
$50
Roll Call
Regular updates on the film +
- a mention on our website & social media
- a mention in the film credits!
- a digital copy of the film poster
$100
The Book Club
Regular updates on the film +
- mention on website & in film credits
- clip of an extended interview with Eman
- digital link to Eman’s reading list (she's a scholar who reads lots of interesting stuff!)
$200
A Message from the Imam
Everything in previous package +
- clip of an extended interview with Imam Daayiee Abdullah discussing the history of queerness and sexuality in Islam
$500
Movie Night
Everything in previous package +
- an HD stream of completed film
- digital link to the original soundtrack of the film
$1,000
Festival Buzz!
Everything in previous package +
- two tickets to a festival screening of your choice (travel not included)
$2,000
Red Carpet
Everything in previous package (except tickets to festival screening of choice) +
- two tickets to our festival premiere (travel not included)
- one-hour Zoom session with the producers, director, and subject of the film
Claimed: 0 of 4
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$10
Love Is Love
Thanks for standing with us! You will receive our eternal gratitude, a shoutout on social media and a couple updates on the film and its release.
$25
Let’s Get Educated
You have our eternal gratitude and will receive a couple updates on the film +
- a personalized thank-you email
- a mention on our website & social media
- flash card with facts or trivia about our subject matter
- our GIF
$50
Roll Call
Regular updates on the film +
- a mention on our website & social media
- a mention in the film credits!
- a digital copy of the film poster
$100
The Book Club
Regular updates on the film +
- mention on website & in film credits
- clip of an extended interview with Eman
- digital link to Eman’s reading list (she's a scholar who reads lots of interesting stuff!)
$200
A Message from the Imam
Everything in previous package +
- clip of an extended interview with Imam Daayiee Abdullah discussing the history of queerness and sexuality in Islam
$500
Movie Night
Everything in previous package +
- an HD stream of completed film
- digital link to the original soundtrack of the film
$1,000
Festival Buzz!
Everything in previous package +
- two tickets to a festival screening of your choice (travel not included)
$2,000
Red Carpet
Everything in previous package (except tickets to festival screening of choice) +
- two tickets to our festival premiere (travel not included)
- one-hour Zoom session with the producers, director, and subject of the film
Claimed: 0 of 4
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
Sandra Itäinen (Director, Producer, Editor) is a Finnish film director and editor based in New York City. Documentary editing credits include TOMBOY (SXSW, 2020) and award-winning KELET (DocPoint, 2020). She directed and edited the short documentary series NOITAPIIRIT (eng. COVENS) for Finnish YLE (2021), and is working on her directorial feature debut COMING AROUND, which has received support from the Gotham Documentary Feature Lab, the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship program, Berlinale Diversity and Inclusion DocSalon, among others. Sandra’s first documentary short THE WEAVEOLOGIST (2016) screened at multiple film festivals, i.a. DOC NYC. Sandra is the associate producer of DARK MONEY (dir. Kimberly Reed) nominated for Best Documentary Feature at Sundance 2018.
Chelsi Bullard (Producer) is a Memphis-born and Brooklyn-based documentary director, editor & producer. Her interests are rooted in stories that tackle the human rights issues of our time, with a focus on youth, people of color and debunking inaccurate histories of folx who have been disenfranchised. She is most known for editing the feature documentary THE RIGHT TO READ (2022). She was also an additional editor on the feature documentary NOT GOING QUIETLY (SXSW, 2021). She is currently producing the feature documentary COMING AROUND.
Uwa Iduozee (Cinematographer) is a Finnish-Nigerian filmmaker, cinematographer and photographer currently based in Brooklyn, NY. His recent project THEY WALKED ON WATER exhibited at multiple venues, including the 2021 Helsinki Biennial and The Festival of Political Photography, and his photo project Blind Spot(s) was exhibited at the Helsinki Museum of Photography in 2021. Iduozee’s short films have screened at i.a. DOC NYC and Indie Memphis, and he’s directed and shot multiple short films for Finnish YLE. He is the DoP of TRUMPIN AMERIKAN TULEVAISUUS (engl. The Future of Trump's America) which aired nationally in Finland in 2020. His first short film A PART OF MOM won at the international 2017 College Photographer of the Year competition.
Sarah Ibrahim (Composer) is a Black American/Kuwaiti/Indonesian composer and multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles. She creates work that explores the geographies of the interior, grief and the diaspora, and the political as personal. Sarah has composed Joie Estrella Horwitz’s Green Turns Brown (2021) which screened at Footprints Flaherty Screening, SF DocFest and DokLeipzig. She designed sound for Zaina Bseiso’s When Light is Displaced (2021) screened at DokLeipzig. She did foley for Ekaterina Selenkina’s Detours (2021) screened at Venice International Film Critics' Week, Viennale, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Currently, she is composing Sandra Itäinen’s film in production, Coming Around.
Marc Smolowitz (Executive Producer) is a multi-award-winning independent filmmaker based in San Francisco. With over three decades of experience, Smolowitz is a director, producer, and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ successful independent films. The combined footprint of his works has touched 250+ film festivals and markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television, and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His credits include films that have screened at Sundance, Berlin, Venice, Tribeca, Chicago, Palm Springs, SF FILM, AFI Docs, IDFA, DOC NYC, CPH: DOX, Tokyo, Melbourne, Viennale, among others.
Rabab Haj Yahya (Consulting Editor) is best known for the award-winning feature documentaries, The Feeling of Being Watched (Tribeca, 2018 | POV, 2019), described as a "real-world conspiracy thriller" (Variety Magazine) for which she won Best Editing Award (Woodstock, 2018) and the Critic’s Choice-nominated Speed Sisters (Hot Docs, 2015 | Netflix), which the NY Times called, "subtly rebellious and defiantly optimistic". Rabab recently edited the feature documentary Apart (HotDocs, 2021). And the feature documentary The Legend of the Underground (Tribeca | HBO 2021). She was also an editor on the Emmy-nominated web-series the Secret Life of Muslims (Peabody Finalist | Vox | USA Today, 2016), and is a Sundance Edit and Story Lab Fellow.
Deborah Dickson (Consulting Producer) is an award-winning, Academy-nominated director, producer and editor, best known for RUTHIE AND CONNIE: EVERY ROOM IN THE HOUSE (2002), LALEE’S KIN: THE LEGACY OF COTTON (2001) and CHRISTO IN PARIS (1990). Her films have screened at Sundance, Münich, Toronto, Miami International, Berlin, New York and Venice, and her awards and honors include: Gold Hugo; Grand Prize, Amsterdam Film Festival; Best Cinematography, Sundance Film Festival; Best Documentary, Seattle International and Nashville festivals; Emmy; Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award; Peabody Award; ACE Award.
Bianca Beyrouti (Crowdfunding Consultant) is a Bay Area born-and-bred filmmaker and producer with a decade’s worth of narrative and documentary credits. Prior to her current role as Associate Producer at Actual Films, she was Associate Producer of the award-winning PBS series INDEPENDENT LENS. She also produced the indie feature BRING ME AN AVOCADO, which won the audience award at its Cinequest world premiere and is now streaming. Her film credits have screened at such festivals as SFFilm, Frameline, OutFest, Palm Springs International, Napa Valley, and Vail. She also serves on the Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) Board of Directors.
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