Name: Musa Syeed

Recipient Year: 2017

Description: As a writer and filmmaker, Musa’s work attempts to bring the inner dimensions of Muslim lives to the page and screen. His credits as writer/director include the feature films Valley of Saints (Audience Award Winner, Sundance Film Festival) and A Stray (New York Times Critics Pick). His documentaries include A Son’s Sacrifice (Best Short Doc, Tribeca Film Festival) and Bronx Princess (Official Selection, Berlinale), both of which broadcast nationally on PBS. Musa has taught film and writing at Williams College, Rutgers University, and the Tribeca Film Institute. He has also served as the Creative Director and lead instructor for the Muslim Youth Voices Project, a multi-year initiative to bring free filmmaking workshops to Muslim youth across the country. As a Fulbright Fellow, Syeed lived in Cairo, Egypt, where he focused on experimental filmmaking.

School Name: Rutgers University

Major: Creative Writing

Sponsor: International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) Scholarship