UK Muslim Film (UKMF) was set up to counter the negative depictions of Muslims in film and television.

Founder Sajid Varda was on The Today Show recently to talk about the organisation and the pop-up cinema event that will celebrate Muslim contributions to film.

Sajid mentioned how the negative stereotypes in films have a “real world” impact on Muslims.

“UK Muslim Film was really about challenging these negative stereotypes within the industry,” he said on the programme.  

Sajid also talked about the authenticity of Muslim representation in film and how important it was to represent Muslim beliefs more faithfully.  

“A typical one is Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, which is amazing — I love it. But when you see Morgan Freeman playing a Moor and he’s trying to do salah, he’s doing something which I don’t think anyone would say was even close.”

The organisation works with filmmakers to ensure that the depiction of Muslims is accurate and fair.

“We need humanising portrayals,” said Sajid. “We deserve that. Because we want to feel valued, we want to feel a part of society. And the way to do that is when you are trying to represent a minority group on TV, do it well and do it properly.”

Watch the clip to find out more, including the upcoming pop-up event celebrating the Muslim contribution to cinema.

The UKMF family pop-up cinema event takes place on Saturday 13th August at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. Tickets for the all-day event are still available and Islam Channel viewers can get a 20% discount using the code “IC20.”