“House of Gods,” a six-part series from Matchbox Pictures, features an all-Arab-Australian cast, offering a perspective rarely seen on screen: a Muslim community in Fairfield, Australia.
“You can’t manufacture authenticity. The audience is so discerning and skilled, they can smell something a mile away. For us, having actors who understand the specificities of Arab and Islamic culture added an intangible layer of soul,” explained Osama Sami, co-creator and one of the stars of the show. To the show.”
“We grow up in a religious environment where culture, traditions and spiritual beliefs govern our daily lives. Immigration often reinforces our desire to cling more strictly to the customs of our motherland. diverse. “As storytellers, we have previously highlighted the lived experiences of our community in film and theatre. But with ‘House of the Gods’ we saw an opportunity to explore this ‘living organism’ that represents the community in a deeper way.”
Osama Sami’s childhood was marked by displacement in Iran amid the Iran-Iraq conflict, an account he later told in his award-winning novel The Good Muslim Boy.
Likewise, Shaheen Al-Shafi’i’s creative expression in his play in Iran led to disastrous consequences, forcing him to flee. His perilous journey to Australia culminated in a lengthy detention, including a long period in solitary confinement, after he was intercepted at Ashmore Reef.
The story of “House of the Gods” begins in the suburb of Fairfield, with an election contest to become the imam of the local mosque. It is a duel between the progressive sheikh Mohammed, embodied by the magnet Kamel Al-Basha, and the conservative Sayed Shaker (Simon Al-Rahi). A controversial photo threatens Sheikh Mohammed’s campaign, but he wins a narrow 4-3 victory, a win corruptly obtained by his son Issa (Osama Sami) through vote-rigging, a silly deal with consequences.
The series presents a rich portrait of society, which is often overly simplified on screen. “For a long time now, Muslims have been talked about but rarely listened to or heard. ‘House of the Gods’ is a story about the inner workings of a society that has never been seen in this way; and the hope, God willing, is that diaspora communities will finally feel like they have Visible in all its colours, Sami says.
“This is not a sanitized portrayal of Muslims, nor is it a story meant to feed offensive stereotypes. It is a true depiction of a community, and I truly believe it can be relatable to anyone. Love, betrayal, and a sense of duty to family are universal human experiences after all.”
One particularly striking and novel aspect of “House of Gods” is its focus on the experiences of Muslim women, with Maya Abbas playing Batoul, the confident and assertive daughter of Sheikh Mohammed. “These are women we know, love and grew up with. We’re just highlighting the vital role they play in our community.” Shaheen says.
Osama Sami agreed with this opinion, saying: “They helped us with our schoolwork, answered our silly questions, and hugged us when we were afraid.” Unfortunately, the narrative we often absorb about Muslim or Arab women is one of oppression and silence. But women in our societies are lionesses. It was our duty to show this truth. Also, how cool would it be to see uniquely veiled women on screen?
There is an overarching theme of coexistence implied here: “We can respect the culture of others without adopting it. “We can be proud of our new homeland but still be proud of who we are,” Kamel Pasha’s character preaches at one point in his bid for leadership.
“We wanted to say, yes, we may come from different places and have different customs or cultures, but why don’t we celebrate these differences? Why do we choose to see them as thorns that pierce our identities?” says Sami.
With projects such as the Emmy Award-winning Safe Harbour, and Stateless starring Cate Blanchett, Matchbox Pictures continually aims to raise the bar for Australian productions to gain global appeal.
“Producing shows from rarely represented perspectives and voices is part of the DNA of Matchbox Pictures.” said Debbie Lee, executive producer and script director at Matchbox Pictures diverse Adding, “We’re very proud of House of Gods as a prime example of introducing audiences to an unfamiliar world from the inside – a world with complex, specific, and relatable characters. I truly believe that the more specific you are about something, the more universal it becomes, and I absolutely believe that’s what makes A show like this has universal appeal. Telling these stories is vital, but without the support of our partners at ABC in Australia, ‘House of Gods’ would not have been possible.”
Shaheen sums up House of the Gods as “ultimately a family drama set in a mosque. It’s an entertaining show filled with complex family dynamics, power struggles and workplace conflicts. It’s all of those things, and an exploration of the cultural nuances of a society trying to call a new country its home.”
It made its international premiere at Series Mania in France this week, having recently aired on ABC Australia. With Matchbox Pictures being part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, international sales are managed by NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution.