The Muslim House®
March 13-14
The Line Hotel:
111 E Cesar Chavez St. Austin, TX 78701
The Muslim House® is a cultural hub — founded and presented by the MPAC® Hollywood Bureau — where American Muslim storytellers and allies come together at major film festivals to learn, collaborate, and create.
With support from the Doris Duke Foundation, The Muslim House® continues to expand at Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, and Tribeca— building cultural power, visibility, and momentum that can’t be ignored.
2:30 PM CT, March 13
BACKLASH CULTURE:
Having the Courage to Tell the Full Story
As inclusivity becomes politicized, how can storytellers create both authentic and commercially viable narratives? Cultural change advocates join forces to discuss craft, courage, and the future of inclusive storytelling! We'll examine what it takes to tell culturally grounded stories that resonate broadly, drive impact, and reflect the full complexity of American life amid institutional and political backlash. CAA will preview their Full Story Initiative Digital Toolkit- a groundbreaking resource connecting storytellers to trusted experts and community partners for stronger narrative impact.
Zaki Barzinji (Moderator)
Director of the Building Bridges Program, Doris Duke Foundation
Prior to joining the Doris Duke Foundation, Zaki Barzinji served as Senior Director for Empowered Communities at the Aspen Institute, where he oversaw a range of projects at the intersection of tech, policy, equity and justice for systemically marginalized communities.
In the Obama Administration, he served as Senior Associate Director of Public Engagement and President Obama’s liaison to Muslims, Arabs, Sikhs and other minority faiths, working to ensure that perspectives rarely represented in national decision making were included at the highest levels.
Alex Schmider
GLAAD
Alex Schmider is an Emmy-nominated producer and the Senior Director of Entertainment at GLAAD where he oversees consultation, advising, and promotion on TV, film, tech, and digital media featuring LGBTQ characters and storylines. Schmider's independent producing credits include award-winning Changing the Game (Hulu), Disclosure (Netflix), Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story (Netflix), Chasing Chasing Amy, and upcoming documentary feature KICK following Nikki Hiltz’s journey to the Olympics.
Dennis St. Rose
Creative Artists Agency
CAA Community & Impact harnesses the power and reach of the entertainment and sports industries to drive positive social change. Rooted in Creative Artists Agency’s (CAA) commitment to being a force for good, the group builds impactful public-private partnerships, mobilizes volunteerism, and helps shape public discourse around critical issues.
For more than 30 years, CAA Community & Impact has led work across public education, civic engagement, climate action, and crisis response, while supporting the agency’s clients in advancing purpose-driven initiatives. Based in the Los Angeles office, St. Rose consults clients on their philanthropic and pro-social initiatives and leads CAA Community & Impact’s narrative change efforts.
Vicki Shabo
New America
Vicki Shabo is a Senior Fellow at New America’s Better Lab and the Founder and Director of Re-Scripting Gender, Work, Family, and Care, an initiative focused on entertainment and pop culture. Shabo is a gender equity expert, policy strategist, and coalition builder, who has helped to win paid leave, paid sick time, equal pay, and pregnancy fairness policies affecting tens of millions of people.
For nearly two decades, she has been a leader in the campaign to win a national paid family and medical leave program and an advocate for policies, practices, and cultural shifts that help people manage work, family obligations, and caregiving.
4:00 PM CT, March 13
AI & INCLUSIVE STORYTELLING:
Tech's Effect on Representation
We can all agree that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way stories are told. From shaping narratives to influencing how communities consume and share information, AI is rapidly rewriting the rules of culture, media, and connection. This panel will discuss the intersection of technology and storytelling, and the risks of leaving the American Muslim and other underrepresented communities behind, and what’s at stake if access to these tools are not available to those who need them the most.
Haris Tarin (Moderator)
VP, Policy and Programming, MPAC®
Prior to joining MPAC as the VP of Policy and Programming, Haris Tarin served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security. He served as the Senior Director at the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Partnership and Engagement (OPE) and Chief of Staff of Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) under the Biden Administration, evacuating thousands during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the largest resettlement program in America’s history.
Before joining the government, Haris was a leader in policy advocacy, having produced over 30 policy papers focusing on issues including national security, civil rights/civil liberties, religious freedom, immigration, and civic engagement.
Safiya Ghori-Ahmad
APCO Worldwide
Safiya Ghori-Ahmad is a political strategist and corporate advisor on political risk and global policy. She leads the global public affairs practice at APCO, one of the largest public affairs and global advocacy firms based in Washington, DC.
Safiya has served in the Obama administration as a foreign policy advisor to Secretary Clinton and Secretary Kerry, and served as an advisor to the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She sits on several advisory boards, including the national board of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Noha Moustafa
Counsel, Data Disclosure & Strategy, Google
Noha Moustafa is an attorney at Google, where she advises on data privacy and data disclosure matters and responds to requests from international law enforcement agencies for user information. She also advises on third party requests for user data related to civil litigation and works across teams to consult on novel data privacy issues related to the rollout of Google products and services.
Prior to joining Google, Noha was an attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where she specialized in government enforcement and white collar matters, with a focus on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Noha has had a long-standing interest in human rights issues and religious protections.
Kirstine Stewart
Global Media & Tech Executive
Kirstine Stewart is a global media and technology leader working at the intersection of AI, content, and culture. She has led digital and media transformation across global organizations including Twitter and the World Economic Forum, advising companies and senior leaders on how technology is reshaping storytelling, distribution, and audience engagement.
Today, she works with media, technology, and creative organizations navigating the next era of AI-driven content and innovation, and speaks internationally on leadership, reinvention, and the future of creative work.
7:15 PM CT, March 13
Ramadan Iftar
The Muslim House® will host a Ramadan Iftar (breaking fast) reception at sunset. The Iftar is open to the public and will provide an opportunity for artists, executives, community members, and festival attendees to come together in fellowship and reflection during the holy month of Ramadan.
Remarks by Sue Obeidi
7:15 PM CT
IFTAR TIME
7:38 PM CT
9:30 AM CT, March 14
Fireside Chat with
Riz Ahmed:
COMEDY, CULTURE, AND THE MESS IN BETWEEN
At the Impact Lounge
(Rooftop Terrace at the Line Hotel)
Creator, Writer, Executive Producer, and Co-showrunner, Award-winning Actor
In this fireside chat with Maurine Knighton, Chief Program Officer of the Doris Duke Foundation, Emmy and Oscar-winning storyteller Riz Ahmed unpacks his upcoming comedy series BAIT premiering on Prime Video on March 25. As creator, writer, executive producer, and co-showrunner, Riz also stars in the series as Shah Latif, a struggling actor, whose last chance to hit it big comes in the form of an audition of a lifetime. The series follows him over the course of four wild days as his life spirals out of control and his family, ex-lover and the entire world weigh in on whether he is the right man for the job.
———
Riz Ahmed is an Academy Award (THE LONG GOODBYE) and Emmy Award (THE NIGHT OF) winning multi-hyphenate, excelling in his unique blend of critically acclaimed acting, producing, writing and music creation.
Most recently, we saw him join forces with Aneil Karia for the second time in a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic, HAMLET, taking on the titular character. Haunted by his father’s ghost and driven to increasingly unstable heights moving from elite London to the city’s underground, he goes to violent lengths to avenge his father’s murder, ultimately questioning his own role in the family’s corruption. As his game-changing year continues, Ahmed has also written, produced, and starred in a forthcoming comedy series for Amazon Prime Video titled BAIT. The series will depict the struggles of aspiring actor Shah Latif (played by Ahmed), whose life takes a surreal turn as he navigates an existential crisis and a bizarre conspiracy. The soundtrack features psychedelic Pakistani cinema music from the 1970s, bridging South Asian and UK artists with grime and Indian/Pakistani pop. Ahmed has also just wrapped production on Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming feature for Warner Bros, starring opposite Tom Cruise, dated for an October 2026 release.
Last year we saw Ahmed in David Mackenzie’s cat and mouse thriller RELAY, opposite Lily James and Sam Worthington and before that, starred in Wes Anderson’s eagerly anticipated latest picture THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, alongside Benecio Del Toro, Tom Hanks, and Bryan Cranston.
Ahmed is the founder of the award-winning production company, Left-Handed Films. As a musician, his journey has spanned two decades across battle rap, techno, artistic residencies, a successful American band Swet Shop Boys, and most recently, his critically acclaimed, award-winning 2020 solo album “The Long Goodbye.” In June 2021, Ahmed launched a multi-layered initiative for Muslim representation in media, in partnership with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
Moderator:
Maurine Knighton
Chief Program Officer, Doris Duke Foundation
Maurine Knighton is the chief program officer at the Doris Duke Foundation. Knighton joined the foundation in 2016 and served as program director for the arts. Prior to her work at the Doris Duke Foundation, Knighton was the senior vice president for grantmaking at the Nathan Cummings Foundation. She also served as senior vice president for program and nonprofit investment at the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. Knighton has also served as panelist and advisor to the National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, Arts Presenters Ensemble Theater Program, South Carolina Arts Commission and many others.
Opening Remarks:
Sue Obeidi
Senior Vice President, MPAC® Hollywood Bureau
As SVP of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and founding leader of the MPAC® Hollywood Bureau, Obeidi has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of entertainment media and public policy. Obeidi helps shape how stories are told, who gets to tell them, and why representation matters to both culture and community. She is recognized for advising top studios, networks, streaming platforms, writers, producers, and showrunners on projects across film, television, and digital media, ensuring narratives are grounded in authenticity. Under her leadership, the MPAC® Hollywood Bureau launched The Muslim House®, a cultural hub at major festivals including Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca.
Opening Remarks:
Safiya Ghori-Ahmad
Board Chair, MPAC®
Safiya Ghori-Ahmad is a political strategist and corporate advisor on political risk and global policy. She leads the global public affairs practice at APCO, one of the largest public affairs and global advocacy firms based in Washington, DC.
Safiya has served in the Obama administration as a foreign policy advisor to Secretary Clinton and Secretary Kerry, and served as an advisor to the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She sits on several advisory boards, including the national board of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
