Veiled Voices

(2009) 1 hour 35 min.

ABOUT THE FILM

Women across the Arab world are redefining their role as leaders in Islam. In director Brigid Maher’s insightful documentary film, VEILED VOICES, three influential women Islamic leaders are profiled along with their families and the communities in which they serve: Ghina Hammoud in Lebanon, Dr. Du’ad Saleh in Egypt and Huda al-Habash in Syria. Filmed over the course of two years, VEILED VOICES reveals a world rarely documented, exploring both the public and private lives of these women. As a divorced woman, Ghina Hammoud faces a personal challenge in gaining legitimacy as a leader, since divorce is controversial in communities throughout Lebanon. In Egypt, Dr. Su’ad Saleh must continually fight for public recognition by the Egyptian religious authority at al-Azhar, the famous Cairo mosque and university founded in the 10th century. Huda al-Habash in Damascus enjoys both institutional support and the support of her husband as she teaches women in Syria and lectures all over the Middle East, helping others “move from ignorance to knowledge.”

The three personal stories featured in VEILED VOICES give insight into how Muslim women are increasingly willing to challenge the status quo from within their religion, promoting Islam as a powerful force for positive transformation in the world. In 2009, Veiled Voices was nominated for the Special Prize for Spectator Sympathies at the International Festival of Muslim Cinema and also nominated for two awards at the Religion Today Festival in Italy. The film is held in over 50 university liberties and over 100 public universities in the United States. 

"  Veiled Voices presents the lives of three such women, allowing them to tell their own stories filled with struggle, triumph, and irony."

Elevate Difference

"The women in Veiled Voices are part of a necessary and natural movement to amplify understanding of Islam in the 21st century."

—Anisa Mehdi, Common Grounds News Service

"A timely, perceptive exploration of an aspect of contemporary Islam that receives relatively scant attention, 'Veiled Voices' is highly recommended."

—M. Puffer-Rothenberg, Video Librarian Magazine

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Selected Festivals

Nov. 2010        Invited, “Best of Religion Today Film Festival” to tour in select cities in Poland

Nov. 2010        Invited, Middle Eastern Visions II Film Festival, Henry Ford Community College, Dearborn, MI

Nov. 2010        Invited, The UTSC Arab Film Festival, Toronto, Canada

October 2010   Juried, Religion Today Film Festival, select cities, Italy

July 2010         Juried, Islamic Society of North America’s Film Festival and Annual Conference, Chicago, IL

April 2010        Juried, Al Jazeera International Documentary Festival, Doha, Qatar

March 2010      Juried, Women of Color Arts and Film Festival, Atlanta, GA

March 2010      Juried, Los Angeles International Women’s Film Festival, CA

March 2010      Juried, Women’s International Film and Arts Festival, Miami, FL

Nov. 2009        Curated, Middle East Association Film Fest, Boston, MA

Nov. 2009        Juried, New Orleans Middle East Film Festival, New Orleans, LA

Oct. 2009         Juried and International Premiere, International Festival of Muslim Cinema “Golden Minbar”, Kazan, Russia

July 2009         Juried and Sneak Preview, Islamic Society of North America’s Film Festival and Annual Conference, Washington, DC