Hear from 'Breaking Fast' director Mike Mosallam and members of the cast and crew's reflections on representation, their work in the arts and entertainment, and their Ramadan rom-com!
Synopsis: Set against the twinkling lights of West Hollywood, Breaking Fast is a romantic comedy that follows Mo, a practicing Muslim still reeling from heartbreak. When an All-American guy named Kal offers to join him in his nightly Iftars - the traditional meal eaten by Muslims during Ramadan - meal after meal, the two start to discover they have more in common than meets the eye.
MIKE MOSALLAM is a producer, director, writer for the theatre, film and television. Through his production company, Mike Mosallam Productions (www.watchmmp.com), he and his team produced short films: "Breaking Fast" (Cannes Film Festival) and "Brothers" (Leeds Queer Film Festival), both directed by Mike, along with the upcoming "Ubuntu." He is currently in post-production on his feature film, "Breaking Fast" (based on the short), which is set for completion in late 2019. He is the creator and Co-Executive-Producer of the critically-acclaimed TLC series, "All-American Muslim." On the theatre side, Mike has produced and directed more than 100 theatrical productions from large-scale musicals, intimate cabaret settings, plays, concerts, and multi-media theatrical events. After eight years in New York / Los Angeles, Mike returned to Michigan in 2009 to head a new initiative, the Wayne County Film Office, and helped attract more than 70 titles to the metro Detroit area. Since January 2012, he has worked in production planning and development for Sunset Studios, Netflix, and IO, where he worked with shows such as “Scandal,” “How to Get Away with Murder," and HBO's "Looking" and "Togetherness."
SARAH BAZZI, originally from Dearborn, MI, fell in love with the arts at a very early age. Having spent 4 years at The Wayne County Film Office, during the height of Michigan’s Film Tax Credit Program, Sarah liaised with projects such as “Real Steel," “The Ides of March” and Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut, “Lost River," prior to moving to Los Angeles in 2013. In LA, her focus has been concentrated on physical production, working on Season 2 of FX’s "The Bridge," as well as a Production Coordinator with Film LA, where she oversaw the on-location permitting and production of shows such as “Major Crimes," “The League” and ABC’s “Modern Family” on behalf of the City.
Alex Lampsos is an award-winning producer of over 45 films, commercials and music videos, including Netflix’s Cherry Pop. Since launching his career at the Toronto International Film Festival, Alex has gone on to produce music videos for Atlantic Records, Universal Music Group, Island Records and numerous Rupaul's Drag Race stars with millions of views on YouTube. His films have been distributed on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and screened in 100+ festivals worldwide while collecting multiple jury and audience awards. On the commercial front, Alex has produced for Marvel, Disney, Sony, along with LA Models in collaboration with Elton John. Alex's work has been featured in Forbes Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, People Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, Billboard, Deadline, Paper Magazine, Out, The Advocate and more.
Lameece Issaq is an actor, voice-over actor, playwright, screenwriter and Founding Artistic Director of Obie-winning Noor Theatre. She was raised in a small desert oasis famous for legalized gambling, prostitution, and a championship college basketball team once led by a towel-chewing Shark. Her parents immigrated from the Holy Land to Vegas in the 70s where the debauched all-you-can-eat vibe was at odds with their strict and often terrified approach to child rearing. After she earned an MFA in acting from UT Austin, I moved to New York City where I lived on the edge of an economic cliff for 15 years. There she co-founded Noor Theatre, a company dedicated to the work of theater artists of Middle Eastern descent; wrote her first full-length play, Food and Fadwa and won a Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble in the play Stuff Happens.
Rula Gardenier, born in the Middle East, raised and educated in England, fluent in Arabic, is a Chicago-based actor. Rula has worked in a number of commercials and ad campaigns. Her TV credits include Fox’s THE FOLLOWING and NBC’s CHICAGO MED. Her film credits include Imperfections, The Miracle and the soon-to-be-released short film Changing Tides. This winter she will be performing with Collaboraction Theatre on a show she helped to write, GENDER BREAKDOWN. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA.
Amin El Gamal is a first-generation Egyptian American actor and advocate who was born during an earthquake in Palo Alto, CA. He is best known for playing sinister fan favorite Cyclops on Fox’s Prison Break revival—which made him the first openly queer Muslim actor to play a prominent TV role. Amin’s other television work includes The Newsroom, Shameless, Transparent, The Librarians, and Everything's Gonna Be Okay. Currently, he can be seen as frantic paralegal Cary Plack on Freeform's Good Trouble. His film work includes Message from the King (opposite Chadwick Boseman and Alfred Molina), Namour, First Love, and Spring Bloom (a queer indie drama shot in 3D).
His advocacy work spans racial and gender justice, refugee resettlement, issues affecting LGBTQ+ Muslims, and equity in entertainment. He is a graduate of Stanford University and USC’s School of Dramatic Arts. aminelgamal.com
Aline Elasmar is a Lebanese-American actress and sketch comedy artist.
Hear from 'Breaking Fast' director Mike Mosallam and members of the cast and crew's reflections on representation, their work in the arts and entertainment, and their Ramadan rom-com!
Synopsis: Set against the twinkling lights of West Hollywood, Breaking Fast is a romantic comedy that follows Mo, a practicing Muslim still reeling from heartbreak. When an All-American guy named Kal offers to join him in his nightly Iftars - the traditional meal eaten by Muslims during Ramadan - meal after meal, the two start to discover they have more in common than meets the eye.
MIKE MOSALLAM is a producer, director, writer for the theatre, film and television. Through his production company, Mike Mosallam Productions (www.watchmmp.com), he and his team produced short films: "Breaking Fast" (Cannes Film Festival) and "Brothers" (Leeds Queer Film Festival), both directed by Mike, along with the upcoming "Ubuntu." He is currently in post-production on his feature film, "Breaking Fast" (based on the short), which is set for completion in late 2019. He is the creator and Co-Executive-Producer of the critically-acclaimed TLC series, "All-American Muslim." On the theatre side, Mike has produced and directed more than 100 theatrical productions from large-scale musicals, intimate cabaret settings, plays, concerts, and multi-media theatrical events. After eight years in New York / Los Angeles, Mike returned to Michigan in 2009 to head a new initiative, the Wayne County Film Office, and helped attract more than 70 titles to the metro Detroit area. Since January 2012, he has worked in production planning and development for Sunset Studios, Netflix, and IO, where he worked with shows such as “Scandal,” “How to Get Away with Murder," and HBO's "Looking" and "Togetherness."
SARAH BAZZI, originally from Dearborn, MI, fell in love with the arts at a very early age. Having spent 4 years at The Wayne County Film Office, during the height of Michigan’s Film Tax Credit Program, Sarah liaised with projects such as “Real Steel," “The Ides of March” and Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut, “Lost River," prior to moving to Los Angeles in 2013. In LA, her focus has been concentrated on physical production, working on Season 2 of FX’s "The Bridge," as well as a Production Coordinator with Film LA, where she oversaw the on-location permitting and production of shows such as “Major Crimes," “The League” and ABC’s “Modern Family” on behalf of the City.
Alex Lampsos is an award-winning producer of over 45 films, commercials and music videos, including Netflix’s Cherry Pop. Since launching his career at the Toronto International Film Festival, Alex has gone on to produce music videos for Atlantic Records, Universal Music Group, Island Records and numerous Rupaul's Drag Race stars with millions of views on YouTube. His films have been distributed on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and screened in 100+ festivals worldwide while collecting multiple jury and audience awards. On the commercial front, Alex has produced for Marvel, Disney, Sony, along with LA Models in collaboration with Elton John. Alex's work has been featured in Forbes Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, People Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, Billboard, Deadline, Paper Magazine, Out, The Advocate and more.
Lameece Issaq is an actor, voice-over actor, playwright, screenwriter and Founding Artistic Director of Obie-winning Noor Theatre. She was raised in a small desert oasis famous for legalized gambling, prostitution, and a championship college basketball team once led by a towel-chewing Shark. Her parents immigrated from the Holy Land to Vegas in the 70s where the debauched all-you-can-eat vibe was at odds with their strict and often terrified approach to child rearing. After she earned an MFA in acting from UT Austin, I moved to New York City where I lived on the edge of an economic cliff for 15 years. There she co-founded Noor Theatre, a company dedicated to the work of theater artists of Middle Eastern descent; wrote her first full-length play, Food and Fadwa and won a Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble in the play Stuff Happens.
Rula Gardenier, born in the Middle East, raised and educated in England, fluent in Arabic, is a Chicago-based actor. Rula has worked in a number of commercials and ad campaigns. Her TV credits include Fox’s THE FOLLOWING and NBC’s CHICAGO MED. Her film credits include Imperfections, The Miracle and the soon-to-be-released short film Changing Tides. This winter she will be performing with Collaboraction Theatre on a show she helped to write, GENDER BREAKDOWN. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA.
Amin El Gamal is a first-generation Egyptian American actor and advocate who was born during an earthquake in Palo Alto, CA. He is best known for playing sinister fan favorite Cyclops on Fox’s Prison Break revival—which made him the first openly queer Muslim actor to play a prominent TV role. Amin’s other television work includes The Newsroom, Shameless, Transparent, The Librarians, and Everything's Gonna Be Okay. Currently, he can be seen as frantic paralegal Cary Plack on Freeform's Good Trouble. His film work includes Message from the King (opposite Chadwick Boseman and Alfred Molina), Namour, First Love, and Spring Bloom (a queer indie drama shot in 3D).
His advocacy work spans racial and gender justice, refugee resettlement, issues affecting LGBTQ+ Muslims, and equity in entertainment. He is a graduate of Stanford University and USC’s School of Dramatic Arts. aminelgamal.com
Aline Elasmar is a Lebanese-American actress and sketch comedy artist.