Little Mosque on the Prairie
HALF-HOUR COMEDY SERIES • 91 x 30The American Format of Little Mosque is in currently in development with Wayfarer Studios in Los Angeles.
Little Mosque is the hit comedy that takes an affectionate, warts-and-all look at a small Muslim community trying to fit into rural Canada. Amaar Rashid is a young lawyer who turned his back on his career to reinvent himself as an Imam in a small town. But nothing could prepare him for his new position at Mercy Mosque. For starters, how come no one mentioned that his mosque is in an Anglican Church? The mosque in Mercy is the epicenter of a group of colorful characters. There is the Hamoudi clan, whose father Yasir is a contractor who sees nothing wrong with mixing his worship with a little business. His wife Sarah converted to Islam when she married, but doesn’t take the religion too seriously. Their lovely daughter Rayyan is a devout yet progressive Muslim who thinks the town’s new Imam is a sight for sore eyes…in more ways than one. Other characters include Baber Siddiqui, the resident conservative zealot who sees plenty wrong with Western values and almost everything else, except when it comes to his teenage daughter Layla. Fatima Dinssa, a Nigerian immigrant, holds court over the town café that welcomes Muslims and Christians alike.
But the Muslim community has more than internal squabbles to deal with. There’s the local right wing radio shock jock, Fred Tupper, who doesn’t trust the growing foreign population in his hometown. The Mayor who’ll do whatever will give her more votes. Luckily, Amaar and the Muslims have a friend in Reverend Magee, who gave their congregation a space in his church for (mostly) noble reasons. Later, when the new Reverend Thorne takes over the church, the Muslims quickly learn how good they had it. Ultimately, in the world of Mercy, peace always triumphs over hate, enemies can become friends, and friends can sometimes become something much, much more. Modern life in Mercy is surprising indeed…and surprisingly funny.
AWARDS
| FESTIVAL | LOCATION | AWARD |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 Seoul International Drama Awards | Seoul, Korea | Nominated (Best Drama Series) |
| 2009 INPUT | Poland | Official Selection |
| 2009 Rose D'Or | Switzerland | Nominated (Best Sitcom) |
| 2009 CFTPA | Ottawa, ON Canada | Nominated (Best Sitcom) |
| 2009 Dawn Breakers International Film Festival | Phoenix, Arizona USA | Official Selection |
| 2008 INPUT | South Africa | Official Selection |
| 2008 The New York Festival | New York, New York USA | International TV Broadcasting Situation Comedy Award |
| 2008 Gemini Awards | Toronto, ON Canada | Nominated(Best Director in a Comedy Series, Best Wardrobe) |
| 2007 Gemini Awards | Regina, SK Canada | Canada Award, Nominated (Best Direction, Best Writing) |
| 2007 Cologne Comedy Festival | Germany | Selected to screen at Best of TV Comedy |
| 2007 Cinema Tout Ecran | Geneva | Audience Award for Best Series, Special Jury Mentiony |
| 2007 Roma FictionFest | Rome, Italy | Maximo Award, Teleplay Award, Best Screenplay |
| 2007 Rose D'Or | Switzerland | Nominated (Best Sitcom) |
| 2007 Banff Television Awards (Rockies) | Banff, AB Canada | Nominated (Best Comedy) |
| 2007 Media Awards (The Muslim Public Affairs Council) | Los Angeles, CA USA | Voices of Courage & Conscience Award(Zarqa Nawaz) |
| 2007 Chris Awards | Columbus, OH, USA | Bronze Plaque |
| 2007 Yorkton Film Festival | Yorkton, SK Canada | Best Comedy |
