This one-hour documentary follows Sahar, Malaieka and Ahmad as they make the transition from a private Islamic elementary school to high school. Will they and their family choose the familiar – though some might say insular – confines of Islamic High School? Or will they opt for a public or even Catholic high school and enter a new, less familiar world?

This one-hour documentary follows Sahar, Malaieka and Ahmad as they make the transition from a private Islamic elementary school to high school. Will they and their family choose the familiar – though some might say insular – confines of Islamic High School? Or will they opt for a public or even Catholic high school and enter a new, less familiar world?

Shot over six months, we follow our kids as they navigate new worlds and take their first tentative steps towards adulthood. Through the wide eyes of those still forming what it means to be a person in the world, we begin to understand the dilemma facing many Muslim kids here in Canada.

As they take us on their journey revealing fears, anxieties, hopes and dreams, their story moves from the familiar to the strange, from the known to the unknown and unfolds against a larger backdrop -- that of a western world that seems to be increasingly turning against them. Up-close and personal, 14 & Muslim looks at how ideas of diversity and tolerance play out in the Canadian classroom.

In honour of Islamic Heritage Month, a Special Free screening of the documentary will be held inToronto on October 15th with filmmakers, film participants, and issue experts in attendance for a panel discussion. The event will be presented in partnership with the National Council of Canadian Muslims, the Tessellate Institute and the TDSB Islamic Heritage Month Planning Committee. Special event screenings will also take place in select GTA schools during the month of October

www.14andMuslim.com