A Jihad for Love (USA/UK/France/Germany/Australia; 81 min.)


directed by: Parvez Sharma
documentary
A Jihad for Love
 

Michael says: "This is one of those films that I find very difficult to review. Focusing on the horrific plight of the homosexual Muslim, it's an important film with a story that needs to be told, yet as a film its shortcomings are occasionally distracting. Eight years in the making, Sharma travels two a plethora of countries where Muslim is a dominant religion, and tells the tales of a handful of gays and lesbians. The stories are horrific, powerful, and educational. Some of the subjects are more engaging than others, often the case in this type of film, but all of them have important stories to be told. The tragedy of this film is that those stories are probably echoed thousands of times throughout the Muslim community.

"The film was very strongly received by the audience, and the powerful Q&A featuring the director, producer, and two of the films subjects was thought-provoking. Fortunately, the team intends to work diligently to get this film in front of the Muslim community where it is so desperately needed. 2 1/2 cats"