002 - Bassam Tariq [Part 1]

For the next conversation in this series, I couldn't think of a director I was more eager to speak with than Bassam Tariq. Bassam is on of the most thoughtful, truthful, and talented directors that I've had the chance to meet. We speak about his journey into filmmaking as a Muslim kid in post 9-11 America, his documentary feature THESE BIRDS WALK, and the evolution of his work from documentary into narrative as he prepared to make his debut feature with Riz Ahmed, MOGUL MOWGLI. We recorded this conversation in May of 2020 - long before any Marvel announcements occurred, so we don't touch on that particular project in this interview. Rather - we focus on Bassam's intention behind his work and how filmmaking is his way of being of service. When Bassam and I speak, we tend to go for hours and hours. This conversation was no exception. We started late, after our families had gone to sleep and talked late into the night. As such, I'm going to split this conversation into two parts. The first takes us to Mogul and the second, releasing next week, focuses on the specific process of making that film. I'm incredibly thankful to Bassam for his openness and honesty and hope you walk away encouraged by this conversation.