The Take A Stand Campus Tour is bringing Bilal’s Stand and its production team to your city or community for a screening of the film! Afterward, the Tour engages audiences in a dialogue about many pertinent topics ranging from social mobility to personal responsibility.  The Tour moves the needs on social justice and personal responsibility by discussing how we individually or collectively Take A Stand.

The film’s writer and director, Sultan Sharrief, was recently named top 25 New Faces in Independent Film by Filmmaker magazine. Being just a few years out of college, Sultan remains thoroughly engaged with his young audiences about how he created a semi-autobiographical film about his life.

After film viewings, Sultan conducts a follow up discussion with the student, staff and/or faculty audience regarding his path as well as different parts of the messages in the movie. This dialogue session has been recognized and supported by the National Center for Institutional Diversity among others. Discussion topics can include any of the listed ones below and more.

Bilal’s Stand Tour Video from Bilals Stand on Vimeo.

Topics about his path towards creating the film:

• Sultan created he EFEX project where he engaged the Detroit public school teenagers in the actual filming of the movie
• Filming begin without a complete script; in fact, it was organically derived by community members who gave input to how their lives would actually play out
• Many characters (non-actors) played themselves and offered lines
• They ran out of money multiple times and hand to live off couches and donations just to keep living
• Fundraising was done at a snail’s pace, but community members continued to chip in
• Any every level, those outside the team and in the “industry” told the crew that it would never work out
• How success and being accepted into Sundance has changed some paths but not all

Personal and societal issues covered in the film:

• Sultan also talks about the struggles he faced growing up in Detroit where there was little or no expectation of going to college.
• Race and class issues lead others to form assumptions that must be dispelled
• Balancing faith when it is in direct conflict with societal norms and expectations becomes a challenge
• Multiple points on education, access, affordability mobility are addressed, including cultural barriers such as “playing it safe” or “selling out” by pursuing education
• Working hard and going after your dreams must go hand-in-hand

College campuses are being visited this Fall, so if you are an administrator or student group that would like to bring the film and Writer/Director Sultan Sharrief to your campus, now is that time!

Middle schools or high schools can join our Martin Luther King, Jr. “Virtual Stand” Release-In-Schools Tour in mid-January 2011. We will be screening the film Bilal’s Stand at multiple venues and each day will hold an online video dialogue and Q&A with Writer/Director Sultan Sharrief. The film and our dialogues cut across many themes that are relevant to Secondary courses as well as personal development, responsibility, and choice.

If you see a location near your campus where we are already touring, and would like to bring the movie and/or Take A Stand representatives to your area, let us know and we can plan around you! We also have screenings for cultural groups, museums, and other organizations year-round depending on availability. Contact us now at tour@takeastand.org!

Colleges we have toured so far: