AN ACT OF WORSHIP is a polyphonic portrait of the last 30 years of Muslim life in America. Told through the lens of Muslims living in the United States, the film offers a counter-narrative of pivotal moments in U.S. history and explores the impact of anti-Muslim rhetoric and policy on young Muslims who came of age after 9/11. Due to their first-hand knowledge and intimate access to the Muslim community, the filmmaking team is able to take charge of the account, which has previously been shaped by outsiders.
ABER’s father was deported when she was 16. Now, she’s a community organizer leading a sanctuary city initiative in New York. KHADEGA is an 18-year-old Sudanese immigrant living in Michigan. While she feels compelled to advocate for her community, she struggles to overcome society's expectations of her and find her own way. AMEENA is a civil rights lawyer in California, but as a mother, she’s conflicted between caring for her three young children or sacrificing her time with them to fight for change.
Weaving together observational footage of these three women with community home videos, and evocative recollections from individuals impacted by incidents of Islamophobia, AN ACT OF WORSHIP opens a window into the world of Muslim Americans through collective memory.
Nausheen Dadabhoy, is a director and cinematographer whose work spans fiction and documentary. Her directorial debut, THE GROUND BENEATH THEIR FEET, premiered at IDFA in the first appearance competition, her second feature AN ACT OF WORSHIP premiered in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival and broadcast on POV in 2022. As a cinematographer she has lensed an Oscar nominated live action short film and an Emmy winning feature documentary. Her films have screened at festivals worldwide including Sundance, TIFF, AFI Fest, Locarno and have appeared on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO and PBS. Nausheen has been a Film Independent Project:Involve Fellow, Berlin Talents participant, Firelight Fellow, Chicken & Egg Eggcelerator Lab Fellow, Soros Equality Fellow and she is currently a Pillars Artist Fellow. She was part of DOCNYC’s inaugural “40 Under 40" which features the talented and diverse voices in documentary filmmaking today. She is also a founding member of the Documentary Cinematographers Alliance. Nausheen is based in NYC, LA and Karachi, Pakistan. She received her MFA in Cinematography from the American Film Institute.
