20th New York Asian Film Festival

Aug 6-22, 2021

Photo: Diverse Film LLC

New York Premiere

Americanish

Q&A with director Iman K. Zawahry, writer/producer/lead actor Aizzah Fatima, actress Salena Qureshi and crew

Shot in the heart of the NYC Melting Pot, Iman Zawahry’s buoyant intercultural comedy Americanish invites viewers into the Jackson Heights, Queens home and rapidly evolving lives of three young Pakistani American women, career-focused sisters Maryam and Sam Khan, and their just-off-the-boat cousin Ameera, intent on landing Mr. Rich. While Zawahry doesn’t shy away from reflecting the realities of racial discrimination and Trump-era rhetoric, her female-led story is both instantly endearing and thoroughly relatable for anyone who’s grown up in an immigrant family, offering a vibrantly fresh perspective on rom-com tropes and the classic juggling of cultural traditions with career goals.

Director: Iman K. Zawahry
Producers: Aizzah Fatima, Iman K. Zawahry, Paul V. Seetachitt, Roy Wol
Cast: Mohammed Amer, Kapil Talwalkar, Godfrey, Lillete Dubey, Shenaz Treasury, Salena Qureshi, Aizzah Fatima
Languages: English
2021; 90 min.

SCHEDULE:

Saturday August 14, 7:30pm
SVA Theatre

AVAILABLE: Aug 14, 7:30 PM - Aug 14, 9:30 PM

Aizzah Fatima

Aizzah Fatima (Writer/Producer) writes the often untold and remarkable stories of immigrants, women, and people of color. She is the recipient of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art grant with Brooklyn Children's Theatre, and has written the book for the musical The Ten Year Test which is the first children’s musical to feature Muslim protagonists in the US. She co-produced the horror feature film titled Horror Time which is executive produced by James Franco. Her TV pilot Muslim Girls DTF: Discuss Their Faith is the winner of the 2020 Roddenberry Impact Award, and the winner of the 2020 Yes, And...Laughter Lab with Comedy Central and 3Arts. She is a MFA graduate of Emerson College in Film & TV Writing.

Roy Wol

Roy Wol (Producer) is a third culture kid (TCK) and a p.g.a. marked filmmaker with a visual disability. He is a 2-time IFP, and an EAVE Producers lab fellow (Luxembourg). He is the president of _Studio Autonomous, _an IP development and production company with a multidisciplinary think tank. Wol’s latest feature film “The Garden Left Behind” won at SXSW, and was named as one of the top 40 best LGBTQ films of all-times by Rotten Tomatoes editorial. As a natural bridger by birth, Wol has dedicated his work into elevating underrepresented communities, advocating for inclusion of artificial intelligence, and creating social impact through bridging intersectional experiences.

Salena Qureshi

Salena Qureshi (Maryam) Film: Americanish, Draupadi Unleashed, All These Small Moments, Friends and Romans. TV: Recurring roles on “The Society” (Netflix) and “Madam Secretary” (CBS). Also seen on “Prodigal Son” (FOX), “Bull” (CBS), “Tommy” (CBS), “The Brave” (NBC), “The Path” (Hulu), and “Girls” (HBO). Off Broadway: Superhero (Second Stage) Theater: Evita (Mistress, Maine State).

Iman K. Zawahry

Iman Zawahry (Director/Writer/Producer) is one of the first hijabi American-Muslim filmmakers in the nation. She has worked on numerous films that have played at over 100 venues worldwide. She is the recipient of the coveted Princess Grace Award and a Lincoln Center New York Film Festival Artist Academy Fellow. Iman also collaborated with the non-profit Islamic Scholarship Fund to create the first ever American Muslim film grant where she currently serves as director. Iman works to amplify the underrepresented female voice. She wrote and directed her debut feature film Americanish with a majority female crew which won the audience award at world premiere festival CAAMFest. She currently is a professor of film production at the University of Florida.

Paul V. Seetachitt

Paul Seetachitt (Producer) is a Thai-American aerospace-engineer-turned-filmmaker. He earned a degree in rocket science from UCLA and was employed by TRW/Northrop Grumman, where he created instruction sheets for building satellites. In his spare time, he taught scuba diving and swing dancing and co-created Western Australia’s first food guide, titled, PAUL EATS PERTH.