This was the one that started it all.
My hard drive says I uploaded it on July 2, 2011—before we even had a name for the “Reflections” series. I remember pitching Usama the concept: black and white visuals, ambient post-rock beneath the silence, the crew visible on purpose, everything overexposed like a half-remembered dream. He didn’t flinch. Just smiled and said, “Dope,” mashAllah. That was Usama. He gave me space to build something honest.
We filmed these as conversations. Sometimes planned, sometimes spontaneous. I’d ask questions and then erase my voice in the edit. Sometimes we’d argue before we even hit record. Other times he’d show up with something heavy on his chest that he needed to express.
What was left was just him—raw, unfiltered, necessary.
The goal was simple: talk about what no one else wanted to. Judging by the backlash, not everyone was ready. But Usama didn’t flinch then either. He spoke. And we listened.
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