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Nasri Zacharia’s Shortlist

Published on April 14, 2009

The Shortlist article series is your opportunity to learn about the films that inspire intellectual, artistic and activist leaders—leaders like Nasri Zacharia. We asked Nasri Zacharia to share his favorite films and his thoughts on the power of documentary to change the world.

So what films make Nasri Zacharia’s Shortlist? Keep reading to find out.

Who is Nasri Zacharia

Nasri Zacharia

Nasri Zacharia is a co-founder of, and the Director of Programming for, the Harlem International Film Festival. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of California at Davis, and earned his MFA in directing and cinematography from New York University’s Graduate Film School.

Zacharia’s collaborative work has appeared at Cannes and Sundance and taken awards at the HBO Acapulco and Fort Lauderdale Film Festivals.

The Tale of 3 Mohammads, his first feature film, premieres later this year and reminds us that fact is often stranger than fiction, as it follows three men named Mohammad trying to make a film and survive in New York City before and after the tragedy of September 11th, 2001. Spike Lee responded, “A unique and important film. Zacharia weaves fact and fiction so effectively that in the end we wonder which is which. A truly original filmmaker to keep an eye out for.”

Nasri Zacharia on the Power of Film

Mainstream “news” channels refuse to show us certain things unless there is some underlying corporate interest involved and in such instances, we are left to sift through their bias and extract some truth.

While all media is actually subjective, not objective, smaller independent news sources and documentary films hold a crucial role in our world and determining our future course. Documentary filmmaking can transport us to real places we don’t know, often including our own backyard. Commonly dealing with serious subject matter like war, poverty and other issues plaguing modern human society, the genre is also often infused with genuine hope and real life heroes who refuse to bow down to military forces, injustice or even nature’s wrath.

Nasri Zacharia Picks

The following films were selected to premier at the Harlem International Film Festival.

I Know I’m Not Alone, directed by Michael Franti: Michael Franti, world renowned muscian (leader of the band Spearhead) and human rights worker, travels to Iraq, Palestine and Israel to explore the human cost of war with a group of friends, some video cameras and his guitar. With its guerrilla style footage captured in active war zones, the documentary is unlike the many academic and politically driven films in the marketplace, instead offering the audience a sense of intimate travel and the opportunity to hear the voices of everyday people living, creating and surviving under the harsh conditions of war and occupation.

The Hip Hop Project, directed by Matt Ruskin, Scott K. Rosenberg and Ari Issler: From Executive Producers Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, The Hip Hop Project is the dynamic and inspirational story of New York City teenagers who transform their life stories into powerful works of art, using hip hop as a vehicle for self-development and personal discovery.

Souls of Black Girls, directed by Daphne Valerius: The Souls of Black Girls raises the question of whether women of color suffer from a self-image disorder as a result of trying to attain the standards of beauty celebrated in images of the mass media. The documentary features candid interviews with young women discussing their self-image and social commentary from Rapper Chuck D, Actresses Regina King and Jada Pinkett Smith, Washington Week Moderator (PBS) Gwen Ifill and Cultural Critic Michaela Angela Davis, among others.

Original Intent: The Battle for America, directed by Anthony Sherin: Original Intent is the judicial philosophy that was promoted by President Bush and Supreme Court Justices Scalia and Thomas. Is Originalism a cover for the far right to impose conservative values or is it the only fair and ideologically neutral way for judges and justices to interpret the U.S. Constitution?

El Inmigrante, filmmakers John Sheedy, David Eckenrode and John Eckenrode: Examines the Mexican and American border crisis by telling the story of Eusebio de Haro, a young Mexican migrant who was shot and killed during one of his journeys north. The film presents a distinct humanitarian focus in which story and character take precedent over policy and empiricism. Interviews include the de Haro family, the community of Brackettville, Texas–where Eusebio was shot, members of vigilante border militias in Arizona, the horseback border patrol in El Paso, and migrants en route to an uncertain future in the United States.

The Shape of Water, directed by Kum-Kum Bhavnani: Intimate stories of five women who abandon female genital mutilation, tap rubber trees to protect the rainforest, defend the biodiversity of the planet and oppose military occupations - shot in Senegal, Brazil, India and Jerusalem. Experience their conflicts as they create a more just world (narrated by Susan Sarandon).

This article is available for noncommercial use under a Creative Commons license. It was originally published on MediaRights.org, a project of Arts Engine, Inc. This notice must accompany the article at all times.

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