By Anum K.
The premiere of ‘Shoe thief’, which is a short video produced by WNY Muslims productions in collaboration with Sunspin media was screened at the ISNF on Thursday December 4th. This short film was written and directed by Akram Shibly, a local community member who had been working hard on this project for a year.
The evening began with snacks and thought provoking activities. There was a writing activity which contained profound questions placed around the room which were related to homelessness and poverty. The audience responded to these thought provoking questions in an honest manner. Moreover, there were trivia questions placed around the room related to poverty demographics in Buffalo. My personal favorite was the laptop game which stimulated dilemmas those with low incomes face in his or her daily life. These activities was a great way to create awareness about poverty and homelessness and to try to imagine what the low income families have to go through on a daily basis.
There was a shoe drive in conjunction with the screening. Since all the shoes from the shoe drive will be donated to ‘hearts for the homeless’, there was a representative from the organization to inform the audience where their donations will be going.
There were over 35 people that filled the banquet hall of ISNF. Everyone enjoyed the short film and even had a chance to ask Akram Shibly questions about the making of the film. Some of the actors of the film were also present to share their behind the scenes experiences with the audience.
All in all, the premiere screening of ‘shoe thief’ was a success with great audience participation in activities as well as asking interesting questions about the making of the ‘shoe thief’. Stay tuned for the second screening!
Click HERE to view more photos from the event!