One of the most exciting films screening at this year’s BronzeLens Film Festival in Atlanta is “Jinn.” The film centers around a teenage girl who resists her mother’s newfound religion of Islam. Playing 17-year-old Summer is Zoe Renee, who starred in BET’s “The Quad.”
Summer tries to become a Muslim but is more drawn to what she learns about the “Jinn,” supernatural beings who occupy a parallel world and have free will, like humans.
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“This is a story that was many years in the making,” “Jinn” filmmaker Nijla Mu’min told the crowd. “I grew up in a very vibrant African-American Muslim community in Oakland. My father and my mother really helped to immerse me in that community and I never saw textured, complicated images of those people in media.”
See Bronzelens Film Festival 2018 full schedule of events
Mu’min said that she knew she wanted to do that with her first feature film. “To look at that realm through the lens of a black girl very much inspired by myself but also by a lot of the girls I know.”
She said she also drew inspiration from her time as a teacher.
“Jinn” will be distributed later this year: It will be released in select theaters on Nov. 15 and be available on numerous streaming platforms later that month as well.
There are several top-notch black films screening at this year’s event. But Atlanta is packed with activities and events this weekend. See some of our top picks here.
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