"The Death of an Imam" has received a "Best of Festival" King Foundation Award from the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) in the 2011 Festival of Media Arts. The documentary received the top award and Best of Competition honor in the Faculty Video Competition category.
The documentary was one of 15 works, chosen from a pool of 913 entries from 143 colleges and universities, to receive the award. Winners were recognized during the BEA annual convention on 11 April in Las Vegas.
Geri Alumit Zeldes, assistant professor in the Michigan State University School of Journalism, directed the film.
Co-producers include faculty members in the Departments of English and Muslim Studies; and a media and information studies doctoral student. Other university students helped produce the film.
"The documentary is a powerful medium to share stories that matter," Zeldes said. "This work is important for all journalists to see who are covering the government, and it also has meaning for all of us as we try to overcome categories and labels on people, especially Muslims."
The 17-minute film examines the news reporting associated with the 2009 shooting of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah in a Dearborn warehouse. It explores allegations of a terrorism conspiracy, the use of FBI informants, and the portrayal of Muslims in the mainstream media. The documentary was made with the support of the Social Science Research Council and is part of the Islam, Muslims and Journalism Education project.
Source: Islam Today