Foundations

Laith Ali D is organising this fundraiser.

Donation protected

UPDATE: We’ve successfully raised funds for the Pre-Production process, and this will help us for our Post Production pipeline! Please donate generously — we’re excited to make this come to life.

The Logline: An Indian Muslim college student mistakingly sits in an introductory Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies class, only to learn through the professor's queries - his foundations weren't as strong as he thought.

Bios:

Laith Devjiyani is a first-generation Indian Muslim from Queens & Long Island, New York. He has roots in Dongri, Mumbai. He started his journey as a Film & Television major at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He started off in the industry as an Assistant on Broad City (Comedy Central), and then he worked as a Development Assistant at Jax Media, supporting shows like Living With Yourself (Netflix) & Desus & Mero (Showtime). Shortly after, he became a Development + Administrative Assistant at Scott Rudin Productions, and has worked as a Director's Assistant at Marvel Studios on the movie BLADE.

Ikra Zulfiqar is a first-generation Pakistani Muslim from Queens & Long Island, New York. She has roots in Lahore, Pakistan. She began her journey as a Political Science major at NYU's College of Arts and Sciences. She started at TIME Inc. and then worked on The Secret Life of Muslims at Smartypants Productions. Right after, she worked in a newsroom at NBCUniversal, and then became a Writer's Assistant for Boons & Curses (Netflix). Now, she's working as a Script Coordinator for an Untitled show at A24.

Laith: Writer, Director, & EP

Ikra: Co-Writer & EP

Foundations is a short film that will serve as a proof of concept for a half-hour TV dramedy, spanning eight episodes.

Through our work, we hope to capture the essence of the first-generation Muslim experience and recreate it on screen.

This story is about the journey of a Muslim student who tries to interpret the world as black and white, but is thrown into situations by his college professor, who teaches him how to navigate the grey areas he never could've imagined. It's a philosophical dramedy rooted in theory and reality.