GLUE Network Member to Premiere Feature Film in Detroit

“Bilal’s Stand” debuts at the Michigan Theater April 3rd

From Writer, Director, and GLUE-er Sultan Sharrief… “Bilal’s Stand” tells the story of an inner-city high school student who works at his family’s long-owned taxi stand. ‘The Stand ‘ has been the source of all money and activity for the family for sixty years, and it looks like Bilal is about to carry the torch. But after secretly getting accepted to the University of Michigan, and taking up ice sculpting in order to win a scholarship, Bilal is forced to decide whether he’ll continue to work at the family business, or if he’ll take a chance at social mobility. The film addresses issue familiar to many inner-city youth such as peer pressure, unequal education, race, class, religion, and the notion of “selling out”.

This is the 2nd feature film from producer/director Sultan Sharrief. The first, “The Spiral Project,” was nominated for a 2006 MTV Movie Award. It was one of five finalists of over 500 entries. He hopes “Bilal’s Stand,” his writing/directing debut, will do as well.

The film was produced as the pilot film for the Student EFEX (Encouraging the Filmmaking Experience) Program, a new community film project and course created by University of Michigan students, faculty, and staff in collaboration with Beyond Blue Productions.

The film debuts April 3rd at 7:00p.m. at the Michigan Theater after an introductory remarks by writer/director Sultan Sharrief and Professor Terri Sarris, the film’s producer. Tickets will go on sale at the Michigan Theater box office at 6 PM on April 3rd. Tickets are $6.00 for students and $8.00 for general public.

For more information, go to http://www.bilalsstand.com/. To watch behind the scenes footage, go to www.studentefex.net. EFEX combines filmmaking with service learning and community engagement, and serves as a new model for interaction between academic units and their surrounding artistic communities.

Sponsored by the UM National Center for Institutional Diversity, Screen Arts and Cultures Department, Office of Academic and Multicultural Initiatives, Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs Council, Michigan Student Assembly Minority Affairs Commission & FOKUS