The Dazey Phase has joined Miss Christian Babe, the feature directorial debut of Americanish creator and star Aizzah Fatima, as a co-producer. The Mississippi-set coming-of-age story explores identity, faith, community and belonging through the perspective of a Muslim girl growing up in the American South.
The film draws on Fatima’s own teenage experiences in Mississippi before she moved to New York. “I grew up Muslim in small-town Mississippi so obviously that meant church on Sundays and pageants on Saturdays. It was absurd, and it was home,” Fatima said. She added that she had not seen that world represented on screen and was excited to bring it to life.
Fatima previously explored Muslim identity in her one-woman play Dirty Paki Lingerie. Characters from the play later appeared in Americanish, which she co-wrote with director Iman Zawahry and starred in as Sam Khan. Sony International acquired the film after its festival run.
The Dazey Phase co-head Jake Casey and the company’s Head of Business and Strategy, Danielle Benedict, are producing alongside Rohi Mirza Pandya. Casey said Fatima’s storytelling was vivid, specific and personal. Mirza Pandya described the project as a story with a distinctive cultural perspective and human themes.
The Dazey Phase, founded by Jake and Eva Casey, focuses on inclusive storytelling. Its recent projects include Hallowarrior, Heightened Scrutiny and Desire Lines.
Sources: Deadline.