This is an animated movie about Bilal, an Ethiopian ex-slave who became one of the Prophet Muhammad’s closest companions. Really impressed by the production value and the well-cut trailer. Some nice attention to lighting and composition. One to keep an eye out for.
(Saladin Ahmed, from whom I found this, supposes from his knowledge of Bilal’s story that the movie ends with him meeting Muhammad)
This looks awesome! Production values look incredible. Can’t wait to see it!
“Who has influenced you the most in your life?” “My mother. She had me when she was 18 years old, and my father left when I was one year old, so I never really knew him. Like a lot of single moms, she had to struggle to work, and eventually she also struggled to go to school. And she’s really the person who instilled in me a sense of confidence and a sense that I could do anything. She eventually went on to get her PhD. It took her ten years, but she did it, and I watched her grind through it. And as I got older, like everyone else, I realized that my mother wasn’t all that different than me. She had her own doubts, and fears, and she wasn’t always sure of the right way of doing things. So to see her overcome tough times was very inspiring. Because that meant I could overcome tough times too.”
On January 19th, I met a young man on the street named Vidal, and I asked him to tell me about the person who had influenced him the most in his life. He told me about his principal, Ms. Lopez, and he explained how she had taught him that he mattered. Over the next two weeks, I learned the story of Ms. Lopez and her school, Mott Hall Bridges Academy. By hearing the stories of MHBA students and educators, my eyes were opened to the unique challenges facing a school in an under-served community. Ms. Lopez taught me that before a student is ready for academic training, they must be made to understand that they deserve success. And that can be the hardest battle in education. Ms. Lopez always said that there was no place her students did not belong. Recently we received an invitation that proved just that.
“I don’t look like an electrical engineer, but I’m in charge of power continuity in Manhattan. Don’t get me wrong— I have a boss. But I’m the only black woman who is the shift manager of a control room. So when it’s my shift, I’m running shit. And I’m proud of that.”
