‘Ms. Marvel’ Actor Mehwish Hayat, ‘Never Have I Ever’ Director Lena Khan Unveiled as First Patrons of U.K. Muslim Film (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Actor and campaigner Mehwish Hayat (“Ms. Marvel”) and writer-director Lena Khan (“Never Have I Ever”) have been revealed as the first patrons for charity U.K.

Muslim Film (UKMF).UKMF works to change perspectives through championing underrepresented talent and voices, both on-screen and behind the camera and also advises the entertainment industry on how to authentically represent Muslims on-screen.

Hayat, whose hit films in Pakistan include “Actor in Law,” “Punjab Nahi Jaungi,” “Load Wedding” and “Chhalawa,” has widely spoken out about human rights abuses on the global stage and has been particularly vocal about the representation of Muslims in mainstream media.Hayat said: “Representation of Muslims on-screen is something that I have been tirelessly working to highlight for the past few years.

Misrepresentation has done untold damage to us and I sincerely believe has fuelled the rise of Islamophobia. With UKMF, I look forward to working with the industry to make sure that the way that we are portrayed on-screen, if not positive, is at least a lot fairer.” “It is equally incumbent on us as Muslims to be telling our own stories.