A Sinner in Mecca

Last updated
A Sinner in Mecca
A Sinner in Mecca Official Poster.jpg
Official Poster
Directed by Parvez Sharma
Produced byParvez Sharma
Alison Amron
Andrew Herwitz
CinematographyParvez Sharma
Husain Akbar
Edited byAlison Amron
Sajid Akbar
Music bySajid Akbar
M.E. Manning
Release dates
[2]
Running time
79 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Saudi Arabia
India
LanguagesEnglish, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi

A Sinner in Mecca is a 2015 documentary film from director Parvez Sharma ( A Jihad for Love ). The film chronicles Sharma's Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia as an openly gay Muslim. The film premiered at the 2015 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival to critical acclaim [3] as well as negative controversies. [1] [4] [5] The film opened in theaters in the US on September 4, 2015, and is a New York Times Critics' Pick. [6]

Contents

Synopsis

A Sinner in Mecca enters a world that has been forbidden to non-Muslims for 14 centuries. Parvez Sharma documents his journey on an iPhone and two smuggled tiny cameras. On the streets of Mecca he joins 4 million other Muslim pilgrims from different traditions of Islam, fulfilling a lifelong calling for Hajj.

The film examines parts of the ideology that governs today’s Islamic extremism and what it has in common with Saudi Arabia’s Wahabi Islam. In the movie the filmmaker, an openly gay Muslim man, tries to find his own place within an Islam he has always known, an Islam that he believes bears no resemblance to Wahabi Islam.

In the movie the filmmaker sees himself as a longing Muslim, labeled an infidel, wondering if he can finally secure his place within this religion that condemns him. [7]

Production

A Sinner in Mecca is co-produced with Arte and ZDF in Europe.

The film is set in Saudi Arabia, India, and the United States.

Festivals

A Sinner in Mecca's European premiere was at the UK's Sheffield Doc/Fest where it was nominated for a Grand Jury Award. Additional security was provided. [8] The film won the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at Outfest in Los Angeles. [9] [10] [11]

A Sinner in Mecca premiered at the 2015 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival [12] and had a limited US theatrical release beginning on September 4, 2015. The film played at several international festivals including CPH Dox in November 2015 [13] and IDFA in November 2015. [14] It won the Best Documentary Award at Image+Nation in Montreal in December, 2015. [15] The film was among those in consideration for an Academy Award on October 23, 2015. [16]

Controversy

The world premiere at Hot Docs required added security in response to online hate mail and death threats against the director. [17] [18]

The online abuse and death threats around the film continued through its theatrical release and its debut on iTunes, Netflix and television channels. [19]

The film was initially slated to be screened at the 26th Singapore International Film Festival. [20] Due to the country's conservative policies, permission to screen the film was withheld at the last minute.

Critical reception

The New York Times named the movie a Critics' Pick and said “Mr. Sharma has created a swirling, fascinating travelogue and a stirring celebration of devotion. We emerge from his film more enlightened.” [21] Critic Alan Scherstuhl in The Village Voice said “Next time you hear politicians or right-wing broadcasters asking why 'moderate' Muslims don't denounce terrorism, show them this movie.” [22] In a story on the film, The Washington Post called the film “Complex" and "Revelatory". [23] In a feature about the film, Yahoo News called the film “A Rebuke of Saudi Arabia”. [24]

The film received universal acclaim upon its 2015 Hot Docs premiere. The Hollywood Reporter called it “Wrenching… gritty… surreal and transcendent; Visceral and Abstract… a true act of courage and hope.” [25] The Guardian wrote, “With poetic simplicity… a delicately personal story and a call to action.” [26] OUT Magazine described it as “Brave... An unprecedented exploration of Islam.” [27] Indiewire wrote, “Powerful, Illuminating … a remarkable examination of contemporary Islam.” [28] BBC Persian called it “Shocking and Courageous”. [29] Screen Daily referred to the film as ““Unprecedented… Surreal.” [30] The Toronto Star called it “A deeply personal film about faith and forgiveness.” [31] Scroll.in said, “Deeply personal … High Drama … A protest against Saudi Arabia”. [32] Anne Thompson in Thompson on Hollywood wrote, “The film combines the political, the personal and the spiritual in a remarkable way”. [33] It has a score of 76% on Metacritic [34] and a score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. [35]

In a feature on the film, The Daily News said it was “(A) death defying religious journey.” [36] In its review of the film, The Daily News said “Compelling… takes its audience where no film has gone before” [37]

Christianity Today says the film is “Critical but not mocking”. [38]

Out magazine published an op-ed about Parvez Sharma's Hajj. [39]

Jahan News, an Iranian news agency, denounced the filmmaker for promoting “the disgusting act of homosexuality” and labeled the film "an attack on Islam." [40]

Awards

Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at Outfest in Los Angeles. [9] [10] [41]

Won a RapidLion for Best Documentary Feature, 2016 [42]

Movies that Matter, The Hague, 2016 [43]

Best Documentary, Image+Nation Film Festival, Montreal 2016 [44] [45]

Best Documentary, Reeling Film Festival [46] [47]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Five Pillars of Islam are fundamental practices in Islam, considered to be obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are summarized in the hadith of Gabriel. The Sunni and Shia agree on the basic details of the performance and practice of these acts, but the Shia do not refer to them by the same name. They are: Muslim creed, prayer, charity to the poor, fasting in the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are able.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mecca</span> Holiest city in Islam, Saudi Arabias provincial capital

Mecca is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia and is considered the holiest city in Islam. It is 70 km (43 mi) inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley 277 m (909 ft) above sea level. Its last recorded population was 1,578,722 in 2015. Its estimated metro population in 2020 is 2.042 million, making it the third-most populated city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and Jeddah. Pilgrims more than triple this number every year during the Ḥajj pilgrimage, observed in the twelfth Hijri month of Dhūl-Ḥijjah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Arafat</span> Mountain and holy site in Saudi Arabia

Mount Arafat, and by its other Arabic name, Jabal ar-Raḥmah, is a granodiorite hill about 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Mecca, in the province of the same name in Saudi Arabia. The mountain is approximately 70 m (230 ft) in height, with its highest point sitting at an elevation of 454 metres (1,490 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Wolfe</span>

Michael B. Wolfe is an American poet, author, and the President and Co-Executive Producer of Unity Productions Foundation. A secular American born in Cincinnati, Ohio to a Christian mother and a Jewish father, Wolfe converted to Islam at 40 and has been a frequent lecturer on Islamic issues at universities across the United States including Harvard, Georgetown, Stanford, SUNY Buffalo, and Princeton. He holds a degree in Classics from Wesleyan University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incidents during the Hajj</span> History of accidents during the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca

There have been numerous incidents during the Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to the cities of Mecca and Medina, that have caused loss of life. Every follower of Islam is required to visit Mecca and Medina during the Hajj at least once in his or her lifetime, if able to do so; according to Islam, the pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. During the month of the Hajj, Mecca and Medina must cope with as many as three million pilgrims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parvez Sharma</span> Indian film director and journalist

Parvez Sharma is a New York-based Indian filmmaker, author, and journalist. He is a recipient of the 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship in the film/video category. He was amongst the 173 fellows selected from 3000 applicants in the 94th year of the fellowship, which originally started in 1925. In an official press release by the foundation, president Edward Hirsch said, "The winners of the 94th annual competition as "the best of the best...This diverse group of scholars, artists, and scientists are appointed on the basis of prior achievement and exceptional promise." Sharma is best known for his two films A Jihad for Love,A Sinner in Mecca, and his 2017 book A Sinner in Mecca: A Gay Muslim's Hajj of Defiance. A Jihad for Love was the world's first film documenting the lives of gay and lesbian Muslims. He received the 2009 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary amongst several other international awards for A Jihad for Love. In 2016, Sharma was named "a human rights defender" by Amnesty International. This was an award given at the Hague in the Netherlands to "worldwide human rights activists" which he shared with the Saudi human rights activist Ensaf Haidar.

Sandi Simcha DuBowski is an American director and producer, best known for his work on the intersection of LGBT people and their religion, DuBowski directed the 2001 documentary Trembling Before G-d and is the producer of Parvez Sharma's documentary A Jihad for Love (2007).

<i>A Jihad for Love</i> 2007 American documentary film

A Jihad for Love is a 2008 documentary film and was the world's first film on Islam and homosexuality. It took a total of six years to make and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007. It premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2008 as the opening documentary film for the Panorama section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hajj</span> Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca

Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and of supporting their family during their absence from home.

<i>Journey to Mecca</i> 2009 American film

Journey to Mecca: In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta is an IMAX dramatised documentary film charting the first real-life journey made by the Islamic scholar Ibn Battuta from his native Morocco to Mecca for the Hajj, in 1325.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masjid al-Haram</span> Islams holiest mosque located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Masjid al-Haram, also known as the Grand Mosque or the Great Mosque of Mecca, is a mosque enclosing the vicinity of the Kaaba in Mecca, in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia. It is a site of pilgrimage in the Hajj, which every Muslim must do at least once in their lives if able, and is also the main phase for the ʿUmrah, the lesser pilgrimage that can be undertaken any time of the year. The rites of both pilgrimages include circumambulating the Kaaba within the mosque. The Great Mosque includes other important significant sites, including the Black Stone, the Zamzam Well, Maqam Ibrahim, and the hills of Safa and Marwa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Mina stampede</span> 2015 human crush and stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

On 24 September 2015, a crowd crush and stampede resulted in the death of more than 2,000 individuals, many of whom were suffocated or crushed, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, making it the deadliest Hajj disaster in history. Estimates of the number of dead vary: the Associated Press reported 2,411 dead, while Agence France-Presse reported 2,236 killed. Based on the total of the individual national reports cited in the table below, at least 2,431 people died. The government of Saudi Arabia officially reported two days after the event that there had been 769 deaths and 934 injured. These figures remained official at the time of the next year's Hajj and were never updated. The largest number of victims were from Iran, followed by Mali and Nigeria.

<i>Tchindas</i> 2015 Spanish film

Tchindas is a 2015 Spanish-Cape Verdean documentary film directed by Pablo García Pérez de Lara and Marc Serena. The film premiered at the Outfest Los Angeles 2015 where it received a Grand Jury Award.

Naz & Maalik is a 2015 American drama film written and directed by Jay Dockendorf and starring Curtiss Cook Jr. and Kerwin Johnson Jr. It follows two closeted Muslim teenagers over the course of a summer afternoon, as their secretive behavior and small-time scheming accidentally lead them into the crosshairs of FBI surveillance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewel's Catch One</span>

Jewel's Catch One was a dance bar owned by Jewel Thais Williams. It was located at 4067 West Pico Boulevard in the Arlington Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Opened in 1973, it was the longest running black gay dance bar in Los Angeles. After nearly closing in 2015, it was purchased by Mitch Edelson and his father Steve Edelson - who reopened under new management. Briefly called Union after the change in management, it has since reverted to the Catch One moniker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivian Kleiman</span> American documentary film producer

Vivian Kleiman is a Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker. She has received a National Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Research and executive produced an Academy Award nominated documentary.

<i>A Sinner in Mecca: A Gay Muslims Hajj of Defiance</i> 2017 memoir by Parvez Sharma

A Sinner in Mecca: A Gay Muslim's Hajj of Defiance is the first book by Parvez Sharma, released on August 15, 2017, by publisher BenBella Books. The book focuses on Wahhabism, Daesh, Saudi Arabia, and the position of Islam in the Indian sub-continent. Sharma calls the book the final product of his "Islam Trilogy". The author recorded an audiobook version of this book for Tantor Media on December 14, 2017. In 2018, Parvez Sharma's book, A Sinner In Mecca: A Gay Muslim's Hajj of Defiance was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in the category of Gay Memoir/Biography and received Honorable Mention in the LGBT Nonfiction category for the 2017 Foreword INDIES.

C. Fitz is an advertising, marketing and filmmaking professional. In her digital work she has produced social media branding campaigns winning four Webby’s for creative content. As a filmmaker, TV showrunner and film director she has won multiple awards for her scripted and unscripted work. She is also an activist and speaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Hajj</span> Effect of viral outbreak on Muslim pilgrimage

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the 2020 Hajj (pilgrimage), which is the fifth pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam, where millions of Muslims from around the world visit Mecca and Medina every year during Hajj season for a week. Over 2,400,000 pilgrims attended Hajj in 2019. Due to the highly contagious nature of COVID-19 in crowded places, various international travel restrictions, and social distancing recommendations, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah advised Muslims to postpone their pilgrimage until the pandemic was mitigated. However, in June 2020, the Ministry opened up Hajj to people of all nationalities residing in Saudi Arabia, with foreigners still banned from attending to ensure pilgrims' safety and prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage</span> Collection of items relating to Islamic pilgrimage

The Khalili Collection of the Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage is a private collection of around 5,000 items relating to the Hajj, the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca which is a religious duty in Islam. It is one of eight collections assembled, conserved, published and exhibited by the British-Iranian scholar, collector and philanthropist Nasser Khalili; each collection is considered among the most important in its field. The collection's 300 textiles include embroidered curtains from the Kaaba, the Station of Abraham, the Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad and other holy sites, as well as textiles that would have formed part of pilgrimage caravans from Egypt or Syria. It also has illuminated manuscripts depicting the practice and folklore of the Hajj as well as photographs, art pieces, and commemorative objects relating to the Hajj and the holy sites of Mecca and Medina.

References

  1. 1 2 Linda Barnard (2015-04-28). "Hot Docs: Film premiere brings online threats | Toronto Star". The Star. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  2. ↑ "Cinema Village - Movie Information". Cinema Village. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Press". A Sinner in Mecca. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "Hot Docs: Cinema Security Heightened for 'A Sinner in Mecca' World Premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  5. ↑ film, Guardian (2015-05-01). "Gay Muslim film-maker receives online abuse for hajj documentary". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  6. ↑ "In 'A Sinner in Mecca,' a Gay Director Ponders His Sexuality and Islamic Faith". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "About". A Sinner in Mecca. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  8. ↑ film, Guardian (May 1, 2015). "Gay Muslim film-maker receives online abuse for hajj documentary". the Guardian.
  9. 1 2 "'A Sinner In Mecca' among 2015 Outfest winners". Screen. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  10. 1 2 Kay2015-07-19T18:18:00+01:00, Jeremy. "'A Sinner In Mecca' among 2015 Outfest winners". Screen.
  11. ↑ "'A Sinner In Mecca' among 2015 Outfest winners". www.screendaily.com. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
  12. ↑ "Hot Docs Film Festival - A Sinner in Mecca". boxoffice.hotdocs.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
  13. ↑ "A Sinner in Mecca". CPH:DOX. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
  14. ↑ "A Sinner in Mecca | IDFA". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
  15. ↑ "PRIX DU JURY / JURY AWARDS | IMAGE+NATION". tickets.image-nation.org. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
  16. ↑ "Oscars: Academy receives 124 documentary submissions". www.screendaily.com. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
  17. ↑ Barnard, Linda. "Hot Docs: Film premiere brings online threats". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  18. ↑ Vlessing, Etan. "Hot Docs: Cinema Security Heightened for 'A Sinner in Mecca' World Premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  19. ↑ Duffy, Nick. "Gay Muslim filmmaker 'terrified' after Mecca film leads to 'hate mail and threats'". Pinknews. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  20. ↑ "A SINNER IN MECCA". Singapore International Film Festival. Singapore International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2015-12-04. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  21. ↑ Webster, Andy (2015-09-03). "In 'A Sinner in Mecca,' a Gay Director Ponders His Sexuality and Islamic Faith". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  22. ↑ "Insightful Doc 'A Sinner in Mecca' Finds a Gay Muslim Making an Unforgettable Pilgrimage". Village Voice. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  23. ↑ Service, Rachel Lowry | Religion News (2015-09-10). "Gay Muslim films secret pilgrimage in 'A Sinner in Mecca'". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  24. ↑ "'A Sinner in Mecca' documents gay Muslim pilgrimage". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  25. ↑ Linden, Sheri. "'A Sinner in Mecca': Hot Docs Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  26. ↑ Samiezade'-Yazd, Safa. "A Sinner in Mecca: gay film-maker on 'a hajj of defiance'". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  27. ↑ Mcdonald, James. "A Sinner In Mecca Screens in Toronto". Out Magazine. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  28. ↑ Knegt, Peter. "Parvez Sharma's Powerful 'A Sinner In Mecca' World Premieres at Hot Docs To Acclaim and Controversy". Indiewire. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  29. ↑ "مستند 'گناهکاری در مکه'، روایت زیارت حج یک مسلمان همجنسگرا". BBC Persian. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  30. ↑ Kay, Jeremy. "Parvez Sharma, 'A Sinner In Mecca'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  31. ↑ Barnard, Linda. "Hot Docs: Film premiere brings online threats". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  32. ↑ Ramnath, Nandini. "'A Sinner in Mecca': Gay director risks death by filming his Haj pilgrimage". Scroll India. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  33. ↑ Thompson, Anne. "With 'A Sinner in Mecca,' Parvez Sharma Puts His Soul and More on the Line". Thompson on Hollywood. Indiewire. Archived from the original on 31 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  34. ↑ "A Sinner in Mecca" – via www.metacritic.com.
  35. ↑ "A Sinner in Mecca" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  36. ↑ "Gay filmmaker documents death-defying hajj in new movie". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  37. ↑ "'A Sinner in Mecca' review: Gay Muslim's compelling journey". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  38. ↑ "The Long Tail: No Man Is An Island". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  39. ↑ "As a Gay Man, I Wondered if I Was Muslim Enough to Visit Mecca". www.out.com. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  40. ↑ "Efforts to promote homosexuality in Iran". Jahan News. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  41. ↑ "A SINNER IN MECCA | Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  42. ↑ "RapidLion - The South African International Film Festival". FilmFreeway. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  43. ↑ "Launch of Movies That Matter: A Matter of ACT Programme - The Hague Online". The Hague Online. 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  44. ↑ "Toronto's Hot Docs adds extra security for controversial gay Muslim movie". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  45. ↑ "Image+nation. festival cinema lgbt montreal film festival". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  46. ↑ A Sinner In Mecca, archived from the original on 2019-04-26, retrieved 2018-03-21
  47. ↑ REPORTER, ARTS & CULTURE. "Reeling Film Festival Reels in Viewers with Visions of Progress". Columbia Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.