373:), Katie Walsh gave the film a B+, praising Dockendorf's directing and especially the film's performances: "In addition to Dockendorf’s ability with storytelling and style, much praise must be paid to newcomers Cook and Johnson as the lead duo. They feel so at ease on screen, and vacillate between romance, best buds, and lover’s quarrels. They code switch between devout Muslims, urban teens, and gay youth, constantly measuring how to present their identities to the world and to each other. Johnson, particularly, is a soulful presence, with his struggle and anger bubbling constantly under the surface. A refreshing and relevant cinematic representation, “Naz & Maalik” is an impressive debut for filmmaker and actors.”
885:
215:
Sarah
Mickell on their tail. Having observed the teens' erratic and mountingly tense behavior, Mickell worries these two may in fact be radicalized Muslims, and surveils them as they go through their day. Naz and Maalik's carefree afternoon starts to darken when they realize they've given Mickell different alibis and the boys begin to panic about being uncovered by their families.
365:
commended the film for the nuance and complexity of its characters, noting that “original stories about underrepresented characters are hard to come by these days, and Naz & Maalik succeeds at not just finding a niche, but rising above the clever concept and delivering a powerful treatise on what
349:
Critical reactions to the film have been largely positive, praising the project for its rich acting, its lean and buoyant directing, and its vibrant, city-life inspired cinematography. FilmIndependent included Naz & Maalik on its list of Don't Miss Indies to see in
January, calling it "one of
214:
hustling lottery tickets, as well as trying to make sense of their new—and highly secretive romantic—relationship. Over the course of the afternoon, the boys' petty—though illicit—small-time scheming, along with their secretive dashes into alleyways to kiss, sets a high-strung FBI operative named
254:
after befriending a Muslim man with whom he was sharing a sublet, and interviewing him about the experience of hiding his sexuality from his family. At the same time as
Dockendorf began outlining the script, the FBI's program of secret spying on mosques in Brooklyn was coming to light, prompting
390:
stars, finding an assortment of praiseworthy elements in the film, particularly in regard to the depiction of the relationship between Naz and Maalik, but also commenting that "he editing (by Andy Hafitz) is sometimes awkward, keeping in redundancies and scenes that don't reveal anything" and
29:
331:
in Los
Angeles, on July 12, 2014, where the film was lauded as a “striking debut” and its two leads took home the top acting prize for their "richly multi-dimensional portraits of young gay men balancing their forbidden relationship with their Muslim faith in post 9-11 New York."
258:
Once the two leads were cast, the characters continued to evolve, with
Dockendorf, Johnson and Cook spending entire days together for three weeks, walking together through the city and running through the characters’ conversations, trajectories, and inner lives.
201:
on March 14, 2015 and was acquired by Wolfe
Releasing, which released it theatrically and on VOD in January 2016. The film was widely praised for its performances and received the Tribeca Film Institute's IWC Filmmaker Award in 2014.
710:
514:
281:
for the film occurred over 30 days – beginning on August 21, 2013 – and took place in various neighborhoods around
Brooklyn, including Fort Greene, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill, and Crown Heights.
557:
814:
718:
366:
it is to be young and disenfranchised in New York City.” Ain’t It Cool found the film "both enlightening and touching not your usual love story, and a good one to boot.”
684:
608:
761:
522:
492:
353:
Writing in TwitchFilm after the film's SXSW premiere, Jeremy Harris praised the film's “delightful cinematic chemistry” and the film's energy and exuberance.
920:
655:
549:
633:
284:
Many of the performances in the film were heavily improvised, as
Dockendorf intended to give the film a conversational, comfortable, meandering feel. “
935:
190:
teenagers over the course of a summer afternoon, as their secretive behavior and small-time scheming accidentally lead them into the crosshairs of
915:
456:
822:
587:
940:
925:
905:
266:
in 2013 and shooting most of the film over the summer, Dockendorf and his producers, Jacob Albert and
Margaret Katcher, received the
849:
270:
IWC Schaffehausen
Filmmaker Award on the strength of a rough cut, which was reviewed by a jury chaired by producer Paula Weinstein.
910:
324:
198:
688:
945:
612:
359:
praised the film after it screened at OutFest, noting its youthful vitality and the charm of its improvised performances.
757:
438:
186:
written and directed by Jay Dockendorf and starring Curtiss Cook Jr. and Kerwin Johnson Jr. It follows two closeted
930:
484:
791:
663:
293:
739:
641:
211:
355:
289:
267:
278:
361:
210:
The film follows two high-school friends, Naz and Maalik, who spend a hot summer day bopping around
900:
579:
297:
312:
shortly after its premiere at SXSW. It was released theatrically in New York on January 22, 2016.
285:
139:
784:"SXSW '15: Vinyard lays down his thoughts on MANGLEHORN, NAZ AND MAALIK, and LOVE & MERCY!"
879:
457:"The GLAAD Wrap: Netflix announces premieres, renewals; Andrew Haigh to direct McQueen biopic"
28:
884:
845:
894:
416:
97:
711:"SXSW 2015 Interview: The Implicit Politics of Jay Dockendorf's NAZ & MAALIK"
515:"SXSW 2015 Interview: The Implicit Politics of Jay Dockendorf's NAZ & MAALIK"
309:
263:
115:
815:"SXSW Review: 'Naz & Maalik' Is A Refreshing And Impressiv - The Playlist"
183:
399:... With 'Naz & Malik', you can feel what should have been, but isn't."
370:
335:
It won the Best Feature Film prize at the 2015 Seattle LGBT Film Festival.
873:
846:"Naz & Maalik movie review & film summary (2016) | Roger Ebert"
783:
550:"SXSW Springboard: The Promising Newcomer Behind Gay Musli - Indiewire"
328:
187:
255:
Dockendorf to incorporate the theme of surveillance into the story.
191:
439:"SXSW Gay Drama 'Naz and Maalik' Bought by Wolfe - Variety"
479:
477:
391:
concluding "There are some very good individual sequences,
250:
Jay Dockendorf was inspired to write the screenplay for
350:
the year’s most acclaimed, award-winning LGBT films.”
338:
The film has screened at over 40 festivals worldwide.
341:As of spring 2020, the movie is streaming on Hulu.
167:
159:
149:
121:
111:
103:
93:
85:
68:
51:
43:
35:
21:
634:"2015 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS"
376:On RogerEbert.com, Sheila O'Malley gave the film
323:had its world premiere on March 14, 2015, at the
656:"SLGFF20 Jury Award Winners Announced! - News"
580:"Naz & Maalik(2015) - Release Info - IMDb"
685:"Don't-Miss Indies: What to Watch in January"
543:
541:
539:
327:in Austin, Texas. The film then premiered at
8:
432:
430:
883:
27:
18:
485:"'Naz + Maalik' Wins IWC Filmmaker Award"
395:..., but the film doesn't hang together.
408:
197:The film had its world premiere at the
308:The film was picked up for release by
7:
758:"SXSW Film Review: Naz & Maalik"
740:"'Naz & Maalik': Outfest Review"
560:from the original on 2 February 2016
921:African-American LGBT-related films
14:
794:from the original on 4 March 2016
300:” have been noted as influences.
936:LGBT-related coming-of-age films
325:South by Southwest Film Festival
199:South by Southwest Film Festival
852:from the original on 2021-09-03
764:from the original on 2015-12-16
609:"Naz and Maalik - 2015 Outfest"
590:from the original on 2022-07-14
548:Nigel M Smith (14 March 2015).
495:from the original on 2016-03-05
916:2010s LGBT-related drama films
782:Papa Vinyard (19 March 2015).
1:
813:Katie Walsh (20 March 2015).
941:2010s English-language films
926:African-American drama films
437:Dave McNary (16 June 2015).
230:Annie Grier as Sarah Mickell
906:American LGBT-related films
962:
262:After raising $ 37,000 on
224:Curtiss Cook Jr. as Maalik
369:Writing in The Playlist (
227:Kerwin Johnson Jr. as Naz
26:
660:Three Dollar Bill Cinema
130:March 14, 2015
911:2015 LGBT-related films
236:Anderson Footman as Dan
233:Ashleigh Awusie as Cala
744:The Hollywood Reporter
489:Tribeca Film Institute
356:The Hollywood Reporter
268:Tribeca Film Institute
279:Principal photography
946:2010s American films
362:The Austin Chronicle
298:The Wedding Banquet
290:She's Gotta Have It
182:is a 2015 American
844:O'Malley, Sheila.
709:Jeremy O. Harris.
513:Jeremy O. Harris.
421:SXSW Schedule 2015
417:"Naz & Maalik"
286:Do the Right Thing
212:Bedford–Stuyvesant
78:Kerwin Johnson Jr.
16:2015 American film
931:Gay-related films
788:Aint It Cool News
175:
174:
953:
887:
875:Naz & Maalik
861:
860:
858:
857:
841:
835:
834:
832:
830:
821:. Archived from
810:
804:
803:
801:
799:
779:
773:
772:
770:
769:
754:
748:
747:
736:
730:
729:
727:
726:
717:. Archived from
706:
700:
699:
697:
696:
687:. Archived from
681:
675:
674:
672:
671:
662:. Archived from
652:
646:
645:
640:. Archived from
630:
624:
623:
621:
620:
611:. Archived from
605:
599:
598:
596:
595:
576:
570:
569:
567:
565:
545:
534:
533:
531:
530:
521:. Archived from
510:
504:
503:
501:
500:
481:
472:
471:
469:
468:
453:
447:
446:
434:
425:
424:
413:
398:
394:
389:
388:
384:
381:
321:Naz & Maalik
294:Paris Is Burning
252:Naz & Maalik
179:Naz & Maalik
137:
135:
75:Curtiss Cook Jr.
61:Margaret Katcher
31:
22:Naz & Maalik
19:
961:
960:
956:
955:
954:
952:
951:
950:
891:
890:
870:
865:
864:
855:
853:
843:
842:
838:
828:
826:
825:on 21 July 2015
812:
811:
807:
797:
795:
781:
780:
776:
767:
765:
756:
755:
751:
738:
737:
733:
724:
722:
708:
707:
703:
694:
692:
683:
682:
678:
669:
667:
654:
653:
649:
632:
631:
627:
618:
616:
607:
606:
602:
593:
591:
578:
577:
573:
563:
561:
547:
546:
537:
528:
526:
512:
511:
507:
498:
496:
483:
482:
475:
466:
464:
455:
454:
450:
436:
435:
428:
415:
414:
410:
405:
396:
392:
386:
382:
379:
377:
347:
318:
306:
276:
248:
243:
221:
208:
152:
145:
133:
131:
124:
81:
64:
17:
12:
11:
5:
959:
957:
949:
948:
943:
938:
933:
928:
923:
918:
913:
908:
903:
893:
892:
889:
888:
869:
868:External links
866:
863:
862:
836:
805:
774:
749:
746:. 9 July 2015.
731:
701:
676:
647:
644:on 2015-07-22.
625:
600:
571:
535:
505:
473:
448:
426:
407:
406:
404:
401:
346:
343:
317:
314:
305:
302:
275:
272:
247:
244:
242:
239:
238:
237:
234:
231:
228:
225:
220:
217:
207:
204:
194:surveillance.
173:
172:
169:
165:
164:
161:
157:
156:
153:
150:
147:
146:
144:
143:
127:
125:
122:
119:
118:
113:
112:Distributed by
109:
108:
105:
101:
100:
95:
91:
90:
87:
86:Cinematography
83:
82:
80:
79:
76:
72:
70:
66:
65:
63:
62:
59:
55:
53:
49:
48:
47:Jay Dockendorf
45:
41:
40:
39:Jay Dockendorf
37:
33:
32:
24:
23:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
958:
947:
944:
942:
939:
937:
934:
932:
929:
927:
924:
922:
919:
917:
914:
912:
909:
907:
904:
902:
899:
898:
896:
886:
881:
877:
876:
872:
871:
867:
851:
847:
840:
837:
824:
820:
816:
809:
806:
793:
789:
785:
778:
775:
763:
759:
753:
750:
745:
741:
735:
732:
721:on 2016-06-10
720:
716:
712:
705:
702:
691:on 2016-03-04
690:
686:
680:
677:
666:on 2015-11-27
665:
661:
657:
651:
648:
643:
639:
635:
629:
626:
615:on 2016-03-04
614:
610:
604:
601:
589:
585:
581:
575:
572:
559:
555:
551:
544:
542:
540:
536:
525:on 2016-06-10
524:
520:
516:
509:
506:
494:
490:
486:
480:
478:
474:
462:
458:
452:
449:
444:
440:
433:
431:
427:
422:
418:
412:
409:
402:
400:
374:
372:
367:
364:
363:
358:
357:
351:
344:
342:
339:
336:
333:
330:
326:
322:
315:
313:
311:
303:
301:
299:
295:
291:
287:
282:
280:
273:
271:
269:
265:
260:
256:
253:
245:
240:
235:
232:
229:
226:
223:
222:
218:
216:
213:
205:
203:
200:
195:
193:
189:
185:
181:
180:
170:
166:
163:United States
162:
158:
154:
148:
141:
129:
128:
126:
120:
117:
114:
110:
106:
102:
99:
98:Andrew Hafitz
96:
92:
88:
84:
77:
74:
73:
71:
67:
60:
57:
56:
54:
50:
46:
42:
38:
34:
30:
25:
20:
874:
854:. Retrieved
839:
827:. Retrieved
823:the original
819:The Playlist
818:
808:
796:. Retrieved
787:
777:
766:. Retrieved
752:
743:
734:
723:. Retrieved
719:the original
714:
704:
693:. Retrieved
689:the original
679:
668:. Retrieved
664:the original
659:
650:
642:the original
637:
628:
617:. Retrieved
613:the original
603:
592:. Retrieved
583:
574:
562:. Retrieved
553:
527:. Retrieved
523:the original
518:
508:
497:. Retrieved
488:
465:. Retrieved
463:. 2016-01-21
460:
451:
442:
420:
411:
375:
368:
360:
354:
352:
348:
340:
337:
334:
320:
319:
307:
304:Distribution
283:
277:
261:
257:
251:
249:
209:
196:
178:
177:
176:
151:Running time
123:Release date
107:Adam Gunther
58:Jacob Albert
310:Wolfe Video
264:Kickstarter
246:Development
116:Wolfe Video
52:Produced by
36:Directed by
901:2015 films
895:Categories
856:2021-09-03
829:12 January
798:12 January
768:2016-01-12
725:2016-01-12
715:TwitchFilm
695:2016-01-12
670:2016-01-12
619:2016-01-12
594:2021-10-18
564:12 January
529:2016-01-12
519:TwitchFilm
499:2016-01-12
467:2021-09-04
403:References
241:Production
184:drama film
155:89 minutes
134:2015-03-14
89:Jake Magee
44:Written by
554:Indiewire
371:Indiewire
345:Reception
94:Edited by
850:Archived
792:Archived
762:Archived
588:Archived
558:Archived
493:Archived
296:,” and “
168:Language
104:Music by
69:Starring
638:Outfest
443:Variety
385:⁄
329:Outfest
316:Release
274:Filming
171:English
160:Country
132: (
882:
397:
393:
188:Muslim
138: (
461:GLAAD
880:IMDb
831:2016
800:2016
584:IMDb
566:2016
292:,” “
288:,” “
219:Cast
206:Plot
140:SXSW
878:at
192:FBI
897::
848:.
817:.
790:.
786:.
760:.
742:.
713:.
658:.
636:.
586:.
582:.
556:.
552:.
538:^
517:.
491:.
487:.
476:^
459:.
441:.
429:^
419:.
859:.
833:.
802:.
771:.
728:.
698:.
673:.
622:.
597:.
568:.
532:.
502:.
470:.
445:.
423:.
387:2
383:1
380:+
378:2
142:)
136:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
