PARVEZ SHARMA makes fearless, multiple-award-winning films about faith, identity, religious extremism, and social justice. Two of the best known are A Jihad for Love and A Sinner in Mecca. In the latter, shot mostly with an iPhone, guerrilla-style, Parvez travels to Mecca to reveal a side of Islam that’s literally never been seen before. “We emerge from the film more enlightened,” writes the New York Times, naming it a Critics’ Pick. He has been hailed as a “gifted filmmaker” (the Wall Street Journal), “frankly brave” (NPR), “provocative” (San Francisco Chronicle), and as carrying out “an attack on Islam” by Ayatollah Khamenei’s regime in Iran.
Parvez’s writings on Islamic, racial, and political issues have appeared on the Huffington Post, the Daily Beast, the Guardian, and elsewhere. He is a prominent speaker on Islam, politics, extremism, personal identity, and the media, having spoken at more than 200 live events around the world and conducted workshops with the United Nations, European Union, US State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security. He reported actively about the “Green Movement” in Iran and about the revolution in Egypt. The New York Times, in a profile on the filmmaker, said, “After ‘Jihad,’ Mr. Sharma was labeled an infidel, and in the intervening years, he has gotten more death threats than he cares to recall.” Parvez was named one of “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World” in a list headed by the Dalai Lama.
For direct bookings and/or speaking events for Parvez, email info@asinnerinmecca.com. You can also contact his agency, Lavin, at http://bit.ly/2npO0uR.