The Furance has gone on to make it’s mark on the Venice Film Festival in 2020.
Introducing the movie, Sabrine Yassine stated that, “Crescent Wealth will continue to encourage efforts to display the many varied narratives of Australia’s diverse and multicultural history.”
“A history, where Muslims contributed our lot to build this wonderful country, our home,” emboldened Ms Yassine.
Today, making up the diverse mosaic of Australia, the film recognises our common humanity, the importance of celebrating faiths and what they have brought to multicultural Australia.
Confronting the past by putting a spotlight on various kinds of racism, the honest and inclusive story-writing in this film of Australia’s diverse heritage leaves you with a lot to be proud of. Indeed, capturing the land with all its boundless plains, the adventurous Australian and international tourist alike, may be enticed to visit these camel-riding outback settings for themselves.
The Furnace film was produced by Timothy White in Australia and stars David Wenham as Mal and Ahmed Malek as Hanif, a young afghan cameleer.
As Muslim Australians, we are grateful to see this film illuminate the little-known history of Australia’s ‘Ghan’ Cameleers – Cameleers who traversed the harsh terrain of Western Australia during the 1890s gold rush.
The Ghans were predominantly Muslim and Sikh men from India, Afghanistan, and Persia who formed unique bonds with local Aboriginal people. Besides being an important defining movie for Australian Muslims, The Furnace weaves together a complex narrative of the personal journeys of these incredible characters.
Crescent Wealth will continue to encourage efforts to display the many varied narratives of Australia’s diverse and multicultural history. A history, where Muslims contributed our lot to build this wonderful country, our home.
Ms Yassine full speech intruducing Crescent Wealth’s friends and partners:
Al Salamu Alykum, peace be upon you, and welcome.
I am Sabrine Yassine and behalf of Crescent Wealth, I want to thank you all for coming this evening.
‘I would like to begin by acknowledging the Darug people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather today and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today”
This year has been an unusual and difficult one for all of us. We’d like to celebrate the end of 2020 and express our gratitude to you all for your continued support of Crescent Wealth. We warmly welcome you here this evening for this private screening of this amazing new film, The Furnace.
The Furnace is directed by the acclaimed Australian Director Roderick Mackay and stars many talented Australian and International actors such as David Wenham, Ahmad Malek, Baykali Ganambarr, (pron: Bakely Gunnabar) and Jay Ryan, not to forget some of the main co-stars, the camels. For Arabic-speaking Egyptian Ahmad Malek, this is his first English-speaking role. Not just satisfied with taking a role in English, Malek also speaks Pashto and the local indigenous language, Badimaya, throughout the film.
This film illuminates the little-known history of Australia’s ‘Ghan’ Cameleers – Cameleers who traversed the harsh terrain of Western Australia during the 1890s gold rush. The Ghans were predominantly Muslim and Sikh men from India, Afghanistan, and Persia who formed unique bonds with local Aboriginal people. Besides being an important defining movie for Australian Muslims, The Furnace weaves together a complex narrative of the personal journeys of these incredible characters.
We are so very proud to have supported the production of this Australian film. Crescent Wealth will continue to encourage efforts to display the many varied narratives of Australia’s diverse and multicultural history. A history, where Muslims contributed our lot to build this wonderful country, our home.
I won’t give any more away, other than to say that watching this film filled me with a sense of pride, as an Australian Muslim.
