Artist holds a microphone in front of a screen with the word “COMEDY” in bright colors.

Building Bridges Fellowship Retreat, Kausar Mohammed, Shangri La, 2024.

National Program

building bridges

Elevating U.S. Muslim storytelling

New voices drive culture forward. Inspired by Doris Duke’s devotion to global Muslim cultures, we explore how media and entertainment can serve as potent platforms for reinforcing our shared humanity.

Our Ideas

New Platforms for Diverse Voices

How can media and entertainment address social polarization?

Explore the idea

New Platforms for Diverse Voices

How can media and entertainment address social polarization?

Explore the idea

What We’ve Supported

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Khaula Haider Malik, Mithra B. Alavi, Fatima Wardy, Asqa Altaf, Habib Yazdi and Kausar Mohammed

Doris Duke Foundation, Islamic Scholarship Fund and Sundance Institute: Second Building Bridges Fellowship Cohort to Expand U.S. Muslim Stories

The fellowship provides financial and creative resources, mentorship and support to filmmakers, focused on telling U.S. Muslim stories while also offering community and network support with other creatives in the industry.

The Muslim House™

Produced in collaboration with the The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau, The Muslim House™ is bringing diverse filmmakers, writers and actors together in conversation at SXSW, Tribeca Festival, Sundance and more.

Smiling woman in a headscarf appears in a paused video frame, seated in an interview-style setting with soft lighting.

Stranger at the Gate

Created by Joshua Seftel and Smartypants Productions, “Stranger at the Gate” is an Oscar-nominated short distributed by The New Yorker Studios with anchor support from the Doris Duke Foundation.

Grant Resources