Holding Fire
Somia Elrowmeim is a Yemeni immigrant — and American citizen — fighting for the rights of Muslims in South Brooklyn at a time of unprecedented Islamophobia. Holding Fire follows her trajectory as a rising activist. During the 2018 midterm elections, Somia works to galvanize the Arab and Muslim vote to flip one of the last Republican seats in New York City. As she gains recognition and considers a bigger role in politics, she must also contend with gender expectations from a conservative society. Our film provides a behind-the-scenes look at grass-root organizing among a new generation of Muslim women whose activism may determine the future of a community.
Filmmakers
Hana Elias is a Palestinian American filmmaker who worked as an assistant editor on three documentaries, one followed three women leading feminist movements in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. Hana’s first short documentary, ‘The Rooftops of Jerusalem’ in 2014, was selected for festivals internationally. The film follows young Palestinian parkour players fighting for space and freedom to practice on the rooftops of Jerusalem’s old city. The experience of making this film drove her to focus on stories about the complexity of belonging, for those growing up in places where their identity and home is contested and politicized.
hse2105@columbia.edu
Eleonore Voisard is a filmmaker and journalist from Paris with a masters degree in journalism from Columbia University and Sciences Po Paris. She worked for the French news agency AFP and production companies in France and the Middle East, covering topics such as gender, migration and religion.
evv2104@columbia.edu
