On this edition of The Halal Gap, we bring you a very special episode: the panel discussion from our 2nd annual ‘Opening Credits’ event on October 13th, 2023. For the 2nd year in a row, the Mosquers Film Festival was kicked off with ‘Opening Credits’, an event where 300 Muslim creatives and representatives from organizations that seek to platform them came together. The panel, hosted by Sikandar Atiq, features Hoda Ali, Community Impact Coordinator at Toronto International Film Festival, ‘Mustache’ director and writer, Imran J. Khan, Kajsa Erickson, Manager of Telefilm Canada’s Talent Fund, an ..read more

This week, Sofia and Sikandar sat down with one of the co-founders and hosts of Edmonton's own 2nd Floor Podcast, Qashus to discuss hustling towards fulfilling a dream, getting into a mindset for success, and what it takes to be a self-starter ..read more

Imran J. Khan joins us from LA! Imran talks to Sikandar and Sofia about his new feature film “Mustache,” a story about a 13 year old Pakistani American boy who struggles to accept himself after transferring from Islamic school to public school in the late 1990’s. Imran talks about authentically representing Muslims and tells us why he thought “Mustache” would never get made. Plus, he takes us behind the curtain on casting and directing young Brown actors, production design, and much, much, more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq31 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Imran J. Khan @imranjkhan Produce ..read more

Hassan Phills joins us live in Edmonton! Hassan talks to Sikandar about quitting basketball before his senior year to go all-in on comedy, the moment he realized Drake was following him on Instagram, and how he finessed his way into opening for Hasan Minhaj. Plus, we talk his early comedy influences, doing extra work, his vlogging days, and much, much, more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq123 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Hassan Phills @hassanphills Producer & YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Quraishi @sifq Editor: Vikram Chouhan @whitenoisetunes Tile Art: Narmeen Saiyed @naarmz and Salman Mahmoo ..read more

Amal Dalmar joins us from SoCal! Amal talks to Sofia about how she went from completing the thesis for her Masters in Law to working for BuzzFeed as a creative producer in a matter of a few days! We also get into “Dinner, Inshallah?”, the USHUB original docu-series she hosted which highlights Muslim American communities and their relationship with food. Plus, we talk about her chance encounter with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, We Are Lady Parts, One Tree Hill vs The O,C., and much, much, more! Host: Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Amal Dalmar @itsamalworld Producer & YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Qurai ..read more

Mohamed Ahmed aka Just Moe joins us live and in person in Edmonton! Moe chats with Sikandar about trying to connect to the work of his grandfather, famous Sudani poet Ismail Hassan. Then, Moe sheds light on his experience at theatre school, including some questionable casting decisions. We get into his music career and how his approach differs from acting. Plus, Moe and Sikandar chat about the Edmonton arts scene, Scottie Barnes, Donald Glover, and much, much, more! Host: Sikandar Atiq @satiq31 Guest: Just Moe (Mohamed Ahmed) @iamjustmoe Producer & YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Quraishi @sifq E ..read more

Photographer Simrah Farrukh joins us from the Bay Area! Simrah chats with Sikandar and Sofia about her exhibit ‘The Brown Gaze’, shooting Never Have I Ever’s Maitreyi Ramakrishnan for Netflix, and how Pakistani poetry influences her photography. Simrah also discusses taking a step back from Instagram, and how social media can be toxic for an artist. Plus, we get into Bratz dolls, networking advice, Rugrats, and much, much more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq31 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Simrah Farrukh @simrahfarrukh Producer & YouTube Thumbnail: Asif Quraishi @sifq Editor: Vikram Ch ..read more

Kashif Pasta joins us from Seattle! Kashif chats with Sikandar and Sofia about his early beginnings in film and his STORYHIVE series “Welcome to Surrey”. We get into Desirée Dawson’s “Meet You At The Light” music video, produced by Kashif’s company Dunya Media, which picked up multiple awards at the 2022 South by Southwest Festival. Kashif tells us all about his new sci-fi short “Desi Standard Time Travel'' and why it’s important for him to center Muslims and South Asians in his work. Plus, we talk about the future of AI in filmmaking, Hasan Minhaj, TikTok, and much, much more! Co-Hosts: Sikan ..read more

Content creator and host of the Salaam Nerds podcast WatchWithNeebz joins us from New Jersey! Neebz tells us about his first time at Comic Con and being suspected of murder. Neebz talks about The Bachelor & The Bachelorette and why it’s important for diverse voices to be part of the conversation on reality dating shows. Later, Neebz, Sikandar, and Sofia dive deep into what they loved and didn’t love about Ms. Marvel. Plus, we talk Midnight Mass, The Little Mermaid, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and much, much more! Co-Hosts: Sikandar Atiq @satiq123 and Sofia Alani @bambzz24 Guest: Wat ..read more

Yazmeen Kanji joins us from Toronto! Yazmeen talks to Sikandar and Sofia about her early interest in advocacy, starting in the 5th grade. Yazmeen talks about her influences in film and entertainment and growing up with Bollywood and Disney shows like Cheetah Girls and That’s So Raven. After winning a short film contest in high school, she recounts a formative conversation on the set of Saving Hope with Erica Durance. We learn about how her passion for both film and social justice led to her starting Films With A Cause. Later, Yazmeen tells us about her next narrative short film, One Day, about ..read more