7 min read actor Riz Ahmed learned some remarkable things when preparaing for his Oscar-nominated performance in Sound of Metal
At 38, Riz Ahmed is an accomplished actor, admired rapper, committed activist â and a metric. In 2018, inspired by Ahmedâs often colour-blind roles, academics Dr Sadia Habib and Shaf Choudry constructed the Riz Test, the Muslim equivalent of the Bechdel test.
Ahmed was not involved at the conceptual level of the procedure, which ticks such boxes as âsuperstitiousâ, âirrationally angryâ and âperpetrator of terrorismâ, but the test does echo sentiments expressed by the British-Pakistani star in his essay for The Good Immigrant, a 2016 collection of BAME writings.
UK Muslim Film charity launched this week
UK MUSLIM Film, a new charity aimed at challenging Muslim stereotypes on screen launched at a BFI event this week.
UK Muslim Film will advise the entertainment industry on how to better represent Muslims on screen, support, nurture and fund projects from emerging storytellers and be a port of call for authentic Muslim representation.
What we do in the screen industry matters. Imagery is persuasive. We are committed to supporting organisations that are helping to diversify what we see on screen and who gets to tell their stories
BFI’s Head of Inclusion, Jen Smith
UK Film Charity Challenging Muslim Stereotypes hollywoodreporter.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hollywoodreporter.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SHARE
Throughout his career, British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed has used his platform for activism and advocacy, and pushed for better representation of Muslims in the media. So it’s only natural that he’d make history as the first Muslim to be nominated in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category at the Oscars, for his powerful performance in
Sound of Metal.
The
actor, 38, who plays a drummer who loses his hearing in the drama, has already won a number of awards and critical acclaim for the role. The Oscar nomination is one of six categories the film is up for, including a supporting role nomination for co-star Paul Raci.