The Consul Officer at the American Consulate and the Producer of the documentary film Hamtramck USA held a movie screening together at the Auditorium of the University of Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) Campus on Friday (3/22).
This activity took place lively with the theme “Ramadan Outreach, Sharing Experience Islam In America Featuring Hamtramck, USA.” Faculty Leaders, UMSU Lecturers, Film Communities in Medan, Communication Science Students, PMM Students to International Students attended them.
The presence of American Consul General Kristy Mordhorst and American Film Producer Razi Jafri was warmly welcomed by UMSU Rector Prof. Dr. Agussani, MAP, WR III Dr. Rudianto, M.Si, and the UMSU OIC team.
“Thank you for your presence, of course this is one of our dreams to be able to collaborate with the American Consulate. We will be ready to collaborate for the next programs,” said UMSU Rector, Prof.Dr.Agussani, MAP.
Representative of the American Consulate, Kristy, also thanked UMSU for supporting the American Film Showcase program and supporting the creative industry.
“This American Film Showcase is one of the American Consulate’s programs, namely holding film screenings, training, film classes, and film communities that have been carried out in more than 60 countries,” Kristy said.
This program aims to introduce an understanding of religious diversity, democracy, and diplomacy in America.
At the opening of the movie night, WR III UMSU Dr. Rudianto said that Indonesia is the largest Islamic country in the world, which has many unique activities and activities during the month of Ramadan, so UMSU students are lucky to see this documentary.
“I am touched. Now, Muslims in New York, America, can taraweeh, and it is extraordinary. Maybe the Muslim community has been well received in America,” he said when opening the activity.
Movie Night & Discussion
Razi Jafri and Justin produced the 93-minute documentary, which tells the story of the immigrant city of Hamtramck. The city initially flourished thanks to Polish Catholic immigrants, but in the late 1990s, Bangladeshi and Yemeni Muslim immigrants revitalized it.
The movie’s plot shows the history of the city of Hamtramck seasoned with democratic politics, namely the mayoral election season. The four candidates who are the main characters in this documentary face challenges and opportunities while campaigning in America’s first Muslim-majority city.
After the screening, one of the Medan Film Community, Amir Hamza Lubis, asked how to approach politicians for interviews like in the movie.
Razi, the film’s producer, explained that in the process of making the movie, he and his team did not immediately start filming but built closeness first.
“When we first visited Hamtramck, we didn’t immediately bring a camera and film. We built closeness, interacted, spent time, and communicated without being recorded to establish trust,” Razi explained.
Then, Razi, who was guided by the OIC Khairunnisa team, said that there was rejection at the beginning of filming.
“People in the city of Hamtramck are traumatized by a vlogger who covers and reports what is not true, but after approaching them, they are finally willing and willing,” Razi said in closing the discussion.
In closing, Razi said that this event was extraordinary and moved him. The activity ended with a group photo and breaking the fast.