MOVIE REVIEW – THE INFIDEL.
Kudos to Levantine Cutural Center, an independent not-for-profit organization which presents the arts and cultures of the Middle East and North Africa and champions greater understanding of the Arab/Muslim world and building bridges between Americans and the Middle East/North Africa.
Recently, they hosted the screening of The Infidel, a movie starring British comic and actor Omid Djalili (The Mummy, Gladiator, Sex & The City 2, Pirates of the Caribbean 3) and Richard Schiff (The West Wing, I am Sam).
Hilarious! Djalili plays Mahmud Nasir, a British Muslim man who, unlike devout Muslims should, doesn’t pray fives times a day or fast every day of Ramadan. He even occasionally has an alcoholic drink, or two. Yet his world is still shattered when he discovers that he was actually adopted at birth and his biological parents are Jewish.
Schiff in a supporting role plays Djalili’s newly-appointed guide into the world of “Jewish-ness.” Djalili as Mahmud begins an odyssey into self-realization and investigation to resolve his identity crisis. Classic comedy, excellent casting and deeper underlying issues of race, religion and identity made it a joy to watch!
Also present at the screening were Jordan Elgraby, founder of the Levantine Cultural Center, and Persian-American comedians Max Amini and Elham Jazab.
Watch the discussion with the movies’ stars, Omid Djalili and Richard Schiff, along with Jordan Elgraby:
Here is the official Trailer for The Infidel:
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| Omid Djalili (Center), Max Amini (R) and me 🙂 |
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| Omid Djalili (L) Richard Schiff (R) |
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| Elham Jazab and Max Amini |