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Islam Documentary To Air On PBS
WASHINGTON, April 30
(IslamOnline) - "Islam: Empire of Faith", a documentary covering the 1400-year history of Islam, will be broadcast throughout the U.S. on May 8th on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) stations.
The documentary, produced by Emmy Award winning producer, director and writer Robert Gardner, was made with a budget of around $1.5 million. Ben Kingsley narrates the documentary.
Gardner, in recent interview with the Baltimore Sun, said that he hopes that his new production will remove misconceptions about Islam prevalent in America.
"We're looking at what's largely a hidden history in the sense that this is something new to most Americans. It's a history that's been veiled behind suspicion and misunderstanding in the West, probably since before the Crusades," Gardner said.
"The exciting thing about documentary production is the challenge to be new," Gardner says.
"Our most recent production 'Islam: Empire of Faith' is a real effort to push beyond the conventional historical documentary, to borrow from the visual vocabulary of feature films, and even music videos, to create an authentic and truly evocative portal through which the audience can experience the deep past.
"It requires a very different story-telling mindset from the start, but when it works, something really quite new happens," Gardner explained.
The documentary contains both re-enacted scenes, as well as contemporary scenes of Islamic architecture and city life.
While shooting in Iran, Gardner used a motion picture company to produce the costumed re-enactments. Iran's top art director, Majid Mirfakhraei, created locations, costumes and props.
Mirfakhraei's expertise was utilized in constructing a full size, four-story replica of The Kaaba. He also had to create 8th century Baghdad in the ruins of a nineteenth century Persian palace.
Producers believe the production design, set in "epic landscapes" shot mainly in Iran, gives the film "a startling sense of scope and provides a remarkable window through which to examine the past." The film took 18 months to edit, and is supported by an original score by Leonard Lionnet.
Even though the program is already getting some rave reviews, from an Islamic perspective, it cannot be guaranteed that it will be free from false statements or comments.
For example, a profile of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) at the programs website contains the following statement, "Raiding and warfare were the primary economic activities of the new community in Medina, and the rich caravans organized by the Quraysh of Mecca were particularly attractive targets."
In competition with this documentary is another planned PBS show currently gathering funds from amongst the Muslim community in the U.S.
This documentary is the brainchild of Michael Wolfe (ABC News Nightline's 1997 Hajj special) and Alex Kronemer (CNN's 1998 Hajj special), both of whom are Muslim converts.
Wolfe and Kronemer state that their documentary will contain no actors, and that there will be no re-enactments involving the Prophet (SAW) or his companions, and shall only include comments from Islamic scholars with film scenes of various Islamic locations.
The fundraising gatherings have already traversed through Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, DC (April 28th), and many others are planned.
The airdate for Wolfe and Kronemer's documentary has yet to be released.
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