CLEVELAND – The Greater Cleveland Film Commission congratulates Cleveland filmmaker Eyad Zahra, whose film The Taqwacores is and Official Selection for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Filmed entirely in Cleveland in 2008, The Taqwacores will be featured in Sundance’s NEXT (<=>) section, which is composed of eight American films selected for their innovative and original work in low- and no-budget filmmaking. The world premiere of the film was at Sundance on Sunday, January 24.

Raised by Syrian-Muslim immigrants in Cleveland, Eyad Zahra read The Taqwacores in 2007 and was immediately inspired by the novel’s accurate depiction of the complexities of growing up young and Muslim in modern-day America. Zahra has worked on award-winning productions around the globe, and opted to film The Taqwacores entirely in Cleveland. “Shooting in Cleveland was a dream come true,” Zahra said. “As a Cleveland native, I had always wanted to return home to shoot my first indie feature.  The city is very friendly to indie filmmakers.  Had it not been for Cleveland, I perhaps would not have been able to shoot this film at all.”

The Film Commission worked with Zahra and the The Taqwacores crew to provide production assistance and logistical support to help make the most out of the small budget. “Eyad and his team were incredibly professional and resourceful, creating a truly spectacular film on a shoestring,” said Film Commission Executive Director Ivan Schwarz. “We are all proud that their work is being recognized nationally and offer sincere congratulations.”

Based on the novel by Michael Muhammad Knight, The Taqwacores tells the story of a first-general Pakistani engineering student who shares a house in Buffalo, NY, with a group of Muslim punk rockers and is introduced to Taqwacore– a hardcore, Muslim punk rock scene that only exists out west. The title combines “taqwa,” the Arabic word for “piety,” with “hardcore.” The films stars a mostly Muslim-American cast, including Bobby Naderi, Noureen DeWulf, Dominic Rains, Rasika Mathur, Tony Yalda and Anne Marie Leighton.