February 9, 2022 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

The documentary In Full Voice, directed by Saïda Ouchaou-Ozarowski and produced by the NFB’s Canadian Francophonie Studio, will be available to stream free of charge at NFB.ca beginning March 8, International Women’s Day. The Vancouver-based director offers a rarely seen perspective on the realities of Muslim women in Canada, celebrating their diversity in a frank, honest and sensitive portrait that goes a long way towards deconstructing prejudices.

In Full Voice
2021, 52 min 40 s
Produced at the NFB by Denis McCready
Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/in-full-voice

• Muslim women are not who we think they are: they’re neither silent nor submissive. Six Muslim Canadian women, all strong-willed feminists, take centre stage to deconstruct the prejudices that surround them, piece by piece. In Full Voice lets the women speak for themselves, and they openly share their unique journeys, without any taboos.
• From Montreal to Toronto, New York City and Canada’s West Coast, Sonia, Kenza, Asmaa, Loubna, Eman and Farheen open up about their experiences with poise and sensitivity, discussing their relationships to freedom, religion and culture, and revealing their hopes and doubts in the process.
• Their individual quests for identity reflect our own, reminding us that ultimately, we are not so different.

About the filmmaker

• Saïda Ouchaou-Ozarowski was born in France, and her background is Algerian and Berber.
• Her childhood was infused with her parents’ Muslim culture, and growing up, she sought to understand the religion, distinguishing its message from its customs and patriarchal interpretations of Islam.
• In Paris, she studied law and got involved with community organizations, and by age 20 was elected a city councillor in suburban Arcueil.
• September 11, 2001, was a pivotal date in her life journey. At the time, Saïda was in Vancouver. The tragic events left a mark, as did the ensuing media coverage and facile stereotypes that victimized Muslim populations in Western countries.
• Conversations with a number of Muslim women prompted her to attempt to dismantle prejudices and change the narrative, and In Full Voice was born.

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French version here | Version française ici.