Project: Muslim international film festival 2026
Discovering worlds, changing perspectives
Film festivals have always been about more than films. They're places where ideas collide, conversations begin, and communities find one another. A film lasts two hours; the relationships and opportunities last far longer. That's why it was such a pleasure to support the Muslim International Film Festival for its second edition, building on the foundations laid by its successful launch in 2024.
Working closely with Founder and Festival Director Sajid Varda and a small but mighty dedicated team, I shaped the festival's marketing strategy and led the delivery of its programme launch.
CINEMA BUILDS EMPATHY
At a time when Islamophobia continues to rise across the UK and beyond, MIFF provides a vital space. Space for nuance. Space for joy. Space for stories that refuse to fit neatly into the narratives presented elsewhere.
The films presented at the festival shows there is no singular Muslim experience. Instead, the programme celebrates a rich tapestry of voices, cultures and perspectives from across the world.
Cinema is a unique tool for building empathy. MIFF champions this thought.
FROM THE GROUND UP
After its successful launch in 2024, MIFF returned to Odeon West End - 2-5 July 2026 - with a selection of compelling feature films, two short programmes and industry events. One of the joys of working with a young festival is that you're not simply promoting an event - you're helping to build structure and a sustainable future. Much of that work happens behind the scenes.
We focused on creating a smoother digital experience across the website, introduced Eventive as the festival's ticketing platform, and began building an email database from scratch. None of these things make the headlines, but together they create the infrastructure that allows a festival to grow year after year.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH PURPoSE
Working on MIFF reinforced a belief that the strongest partnerships begin with shared conviction rather than commercial opportunity.
Independent film festivals rely heavily on funding, but the most meaningful collaborations aren't transactional. They're built because both organisations genuinely believe in a shared mission - and audiences can tell the difference. When a partnership is rooted in values, it becomes part of the festival's story rather another another logo on a step-and-repeat board.
It was rewarding to work closely with Sajid to articulate MIFF's unique proposition to potential partners and develop bespoke activations for each collaboration. Every conversation was driven by a genuine enthusiasm to create meaningful partnerships that delivered real value - not just for our partners, but most importantly, for festival guests.
CREATING PATHWAYS
One of the concepts I was most proud to develop was the Aziz Foundation FUTURES programme, which offered subsidised festival passes to young Muslims aspiring to work in film and the creative industries.
The initiative was built around a simple belief: representation isn't only about the stories we see on screen, but about who has the opportunity to build a career behind the camera. By reducing financial barriers and providing access to screenings, industry events and networking opportunities, FUTURES helped create meaningful pathways into an industry where underrepresented communities have too often been excluded. Creating a more representative film industry starts by ensuring the next generation has the opportunity to be part of it.
Ish (Dir. Imran Perretta. 2026)
COMMUNAL MOMENTS
From Imran Perretta's striking British debut Ish to the powerful intergenerational road movie Hijra, MIFF 2026's small but carefully curated programme showcased the talent and ambition of contemporary independent filmmaking from Muslim voices.
Attending the festival, it was the moments after the credits rolled that felt most significant. As audiences lingered, conversations sparked between strangers, ideas were exchanged, and new relationships began to form. Those communal moments reinforced that MIFF is not only places to discover remarkable films, but a space where pathways into the industry can be created, underrepresented voices can find one another, and a creative community can grow.