Teenage Surveillance Drama NAZ & MAALIK Opens in NYC, 1/22

By: Caryn Robbins Dec. 17, 2015

Acclaimed Brooklyn-set teenage surveillance drama NAZ & MAALIK will open theatrically in NYC on Friday, January 22 at Cinema Village.

Trailer:https://vimeo.com/136844476

African-American, Muslim teenagers NAZ & MAALIK are best friends, classmates, and lovers. As the two closeted teens go about their regular daily routine on a Friday afternoon in Brooklyn - from visiting their local Mosque to selling lotto tickets on the streets - they arouse the suspicions of an undercover FBI agent who begins to track them. This complicated tale of race, religion, sexuality, and undercover surveillance is an original look into the lives of an underrepresented community, and what it means to be young and disenfranchised in New York City. Inspired by writer-director Jay Dockendorf's interviews with Muslims - including closeted gays - who experienced FBI surveillance in New York after 9/11.

Inspired by true events, NAZ & MAALIK deftly explores issues of government surveillance of Muslims, the tense relationship between black men and police, sexuality, and Brooklyn's increasing gentrification. This drama is a day in the life look at the unique experience of being young, gay, black and Muslim in Brooklyn. Anchored by award-winning, naturalistic lead performances from Kerwin Johnson, Jr. and Curtiss Cook, Jr., Indiewire said the film is 'intimate, authentic, and feels decidedly relevant in today's current context.'