Community Cinema Presents Wham! Bam! Islam!

Community Cinema Presents Wham! Bam! Islam!
Sponsored by ITVS, KQED, and the Skoll Global Threats Fund

Wham! Bam! Islam! by Isaac Solotaroff
In 2003, Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa — Kuwaiti psychologist, graduate of Columbia Business School and father of four young boys — had an idea: create a comic book series with roots in Islam and Islamic culture. Al-Mutawa came up with the concept of The 99: a team of superheroes, each one exemplifying one of the 99 attributes of Allah. His motivations were both entrepreneurial and idealistic — The 99 would exemplify the Islamic virtues of compassion, understanding, and tolerance – qualities not often associated with Islam by the West. Within the Islamic world, Al-Mutawa hoped these new role models would counter the growing tide of political and religious extremism. But when the Kuwaiti psychologist launches a comic series with 99 superheroes based on the 99 virtues of Allah, he runs up against suspicion from Muslims and the harsh realities of the global marketplace.

Tuesday, October 4
Screening 6:30 PM
Post-Screening Discussion 8:00 PM

Delancey Street Theater
600 Embarcadero Street, San Francisco

Post-Screening Discussion featuring:
Isaac Solotaroff, Director of Wham! Bam! Islam!
Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Creator of The 99, featured in the film

Free and open to the public. Reservations required: http://whambamislamsf.eventbrite.com

Community Cinema is a groundbreaking public education and civic engagement initiative featuring free monthly screenings of films from the Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens. Community Cinema is on location in more than 95 cities nationally, bringing together leading organizations, community members, and public television stations to learn, discuss, and get involved in key social issues of our time.