The RizTest Podcast

Ramadan Mubarak! Ramadan Kareem! 🕋 We geek out and level up this week with the amazingly talented Osama Dorias and discuss the topic of representation of Muslims in Video Games🕹.  Osama is Lead Games Designer at Warner Brother Games Canada, authored the Independent Video Games programme at Dawson College (Qubec) , founded the Montreal Independent Games Awards and is President of the Muslim In Games Special Interest Group for the IGDA (International Games Developers Association). Osama is also a prolific public speaker talking about Muslim Representation in Video Games at conferences around the world, most notably at the Games Developer Conference presenting a “How to Guide to Muslim Representation in Video Games”. We discuss: Personal journey into the world of video games The ‘Good Muslim Vs Bad Muslim’ Trope Parallels between the Film & TV and Games Industry Well-Intentioned mistakes with representation and why being too afraid to try leads to poor representation Bad guys in games: Zombies, Muslims and Nazis Concept of 'Arabistan' Is representation better in Indie Games? or Big Studio Games? People of Colour in Play (organisation) Muslim Representation in Graphic Novels Osama’s Talk at the GDC “A How to Guide for Muslim Representation in Video Games” https://youtu.be/p4MHV15n-Lw Games covered: Little Big Planet (2008) Call of Duty Franchise (2007-) Counter Strike (2000) Terminator Salvation (2009) Super Street Fighter IV (2010) Tekken 7 (2015) Overwatch (2015) Deus Ex (2000) Assassins Creed Franchise (2007-) Spiderman (PS4 2018) Good Pizza Great Pizza (2018) MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries (2018) Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege: Year 5 Pass (2020) After HOURS (2018)

Hey hey Mary J ✊🏽 We’re back after a hiatus working on personal projects (both of us dabbling in a bit of writing on the forthcoming book, I Refuse To Condemn – edited by the talented Asim Qureshi) with a brand new episode. We’re chuffed to bits to be able to finally sit down (virtually) in this new socially isolated world with our guest Daniel York Loh. We discuss his start in the theatre, writing productions such as The Fu Manchu Complex which challenges the 'Yellow Peril' racist stereotype and talk through early years breaking into the film industry. We have an awesome wide ranging conversation that covers: The Hounslow Art Collective and Parv Bancil’s influence on his career The term ‘Ethnic Drag’, performing your ethnicity as opposed to acting ‘Chinese’ being a problematic term Pan Asian Identities The Oriental Stereotype and Orientalist white gaze Founding BEATS and The ‘Living with the Lams’ controversy Stereotypes of the ‘Model Minority’ Crazy Rich Asians being a significant yet problematic milestone The Rep Sweats And of course we end with the Question Time Guy You can follow Daniel on Twitter at @danielfyork

We’re back with Season 2!💥✊🏽 Did you miss us? We’re back with an amazing deep dive into Iranian cinema with the wonderful Dr. Zahra Khosroshahi, friend of the RizTest and scholar at the University of East Anglia. We talk about post revolutionary feminist representation in Iranian cinema, creativity with the backdrop of censorship and why Iranian Cinema is so much more than Persepolis. Intro trailer: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) Notes: Recommended feature films by Rakhshan Banietemad Nargess (1992) Blue Veiled (1995) The May Lady (1999) Under the Skin of the City (2001) The May Lady (2006) Tales (2014) Other Iranian directors mentioned by Zahra: Pouran Derakhshandeh Tahmineh Milani Asghar Farhadi Reza Dormishian Jafar Panahi Samiara Makhmalbaf Must watch Diaspora Iranian films: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2014) Under the Shadow (Babak Anvari, 2016) Interview with Rakhshan Banietemad Kay Armatage, Zahra Khosroshahi Feminist Media Histories, Vol. 3 No. 1, Winter 2017; (pp. 140-155) DOI: 10.1525/fmh.2017.3.1.140 Iranian Film Festival (London) http://www.ukiff.org.uk/about A platform for watching Iranian films https://www.imvbox.com/ Other notes: Gholam (2017) is on Amazon to rent/buy Twitter: @zahrafkh If interested in blogs/content about sustainability, check out: https://livinglifenaturalblog.com/author/zahrak/ http://muslimgirl.com/45573/heres-modest-fashion-ethics-need-go-hand-hand/

TEN!✊🏽 Sadia and Shaf catch up on what has been going on in the world of representation, what we've been up to in the little break we've had and what we have planned in the coming weeks. Notes: Bradford Literature Festival Controversy Bradford in Our Own Words Event Hussein Kesvani's book Follow Me, Akhi Collaborations with Riz Ahmed at the CAA Amplify conference Youssef Kerkour and Channel 4 show, Home Francis Agnoli's write up on DC Universe animation, Young Justice Future Podcast Guests

Nine!✊🏽 We meet with long time supporter and ally of the RizTest, Nina Bhagwat to discuss the nuances and importance of Off Screen Diversity. Nina is an accomplished TV professional having established, commissioned and championed a host of diversity initiatives. Nina is how Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the Warner Music Group and Chair of the Steering Committee at the Creative Industries Alliance. We double down on Off Screen diversity and how this shapes the narrative of what we see on screen. Notes: Lenny Henry's speech on Milli Vanilli Diversity   Diamond UK Data Collection  Directors UK Reports: Who’s Calling the Shots? Adjusting the Colour Balance Being ‘Acceptably Brown’ in the industry Telling it like it is Vs earning cash to pay the bills The BAME drain  Creative Industries Alliance Legally Black Isn't BBC Bodyguard shocking?!