Feature length documentary: ‘Being Muslim and Rochdalian’

A documentary by Rochdale filmmaker Zafar Iqbal, ‘Being Muslim and Rochdalian'

A feature length documentary by Rochdale filmmaker Zafar Iqbal, ‘Being Muslim and Rochdalian', follows two individuals as they discover Islamophobic behaviour and the negative national media view of Rochdale. 

Mr Iqbal said: “I decided to make a positive documentary to fight the negative image of Muslims and Rochdale, and to bring communities together."

In April this year, Channel 4 was met with criticism over its ‘misleading’ documentary, ‘What British Muslims Really Think’. If the Channel 4 documentary made you angry, then this will make you feel good.

The cast and production team consisted of volunteers, including Councillor Andy Kelly and former councillor Farooq Ahmed.

Others involved included several Pakistani cricket players, the current and former Mayors of Oldham, and MEND (Muslim Engagement and Development).

The UK Film Council said: “The film is unique because it is able to communicate both an individual’s point of view with the culture of the country.

“The film focuses on a challenging subject matter rather than high production values and star names.”

Mr Iqbal graduated in 2003 with a BA (Hons) in Media and Performance from The University of Salford. His portfolio includes three feature films (known as ‘The Rochdalian Trilogy’) and seven short films.

The self-funded film runs for 75 minutes and is suitable for all ages. It is available in both English and Urdu with English subtitles and will premiere at 2.00pm on Saturday 30 July 2016 at Touchstones Rochdale.