3.61-Filmmaker Interview with Aizzah Fatima

In today's episode, I interview Aizzah Fatima, writer, producer, and star of the feature film Americanish, a look at several young Pakistani-American women living in Queens as they chase their American dreams.

Listen to hear about the roots of the story in Aizzah's one woman show she was performing in New York, the importance of portraying young Muslim women with agency and abilities on screen, and what went into building an ensemble cast for the film.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Dirty Paki Lingerie by Aizzah Fatima
• You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
• The Dancing Girls of Lahore: Selling Love and Saving Dreams in Pakistan's Pleasure District by Louise Brown
• High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

Films and TV shows mentioned in this episode include:

• Americanish directed by Iman Zawahry
• Muslim Girls DTF Discuss Their Faith (series)
• Law & Order (series)
• Reasonable Doubt (series)
• New Amsterdam (series)
• Blue Bloods (series)
• High Maintenance (series)
• The Code (series)
• Mr. Robot (series)
• The Good Wife (series)
• Cheers (series)
• Ms. Marvel (series)
• Past Lives directed by Celine Song
• Joyland directed by Saim Sadiq
• The Godfather directed by Francis Ford Coppola
• Mrs. Doubtfire directed by Chris Columbus
• Love Actually directed by Richard Curtis
• High Fidelity directed by Stephen Frears

Follow Aizzah on Instagram @aizzahfatima and the film @americanishfilm.