(Variety) While there are many Muslims active in Hollywood from Mahershala Ali to Riz Ahmed, who is drawing awards buzz for his role in “Sound of Metal,” Serena Rasoul thought they were among the few. Rasoul has launched Muslim American Casting and is building a database of Muslim and Southwest Asian/North African talent.
“We can make a bigger impact if we’re united,” Rasoul said. “I started this casting agency to go beyond advocacy and into action. Instead of being on the outside knocking, we can be on the inside talking. No more stories about us, without us.”
In addition to building a talent database, Rasoul has been casting for smaller projects such as a Facebook Live matchmaking project and an Iranian short film out of UCLA.
