Role / Co-directed, edited and produced this film with Eleonore Voisard Year/ 2019

Synopsis

Somia Elrowmeim is a Yemeni immigrant — and American citizen — fighting for the rights of Muslims in South Brooklyn at a time of unprecedented Islamophobia. HOLDING FIRE follows her trajectory as a rising activist. During the 2018 midterm elections, Somia works to galvanize the Arab and Muslim vote to flip one of the last Republican seats in New York City. As she gains recognition and considers a bigger role in politics, she must also contend with gender expectations from a conservative society. Our film provides a behind-the-scenes look at grass-root organizing among a new generation of Muslim women whose activism may determine the future of a community.

Eleonore and I gained the Pulitzer center for Crisis Reporting fellowship, and a grant to complete the film.  This film was made as a thesis project at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

“We’re running out of time to convince people that we need to do different things.”

Sandy Nurse, Brooklyn based activist running for the 54th assembly district.

We continued reporting out this story for a wider piece on women transitioning from community organizing to local politics.