ASPHALT STARS PRODUCTIONS
Directed by Tina Mascara
Watch the trailer
Book a screening
I’d Rather Be Dead Than Silent is now available for community, faith group, and educational screenings, with both in-person and virtual screening options.
All proceeds from screening fees go directly back to our impact campaign. Your screening fee allows us to share the film with new communities, spreading important conversations on authoritarianism, humanizing Muslims, and human rights for all.
Members of the film team and cast are available for Q&A’s.
Synopsis
After 9/11, fear and Islamophobia grip America. Into this storm steps Professor Khaled Abou El Fadl.
Professor El Fadl is an Islamic jurist, human rights advocate, and one of the fiercest critics of Wahhabism and the Saudi regime. His refusal to stay silent makes him a lightning rod: vilified, threatened, and nearly killed for his words.Surrounded by a private library of half a million books — some banned for centuries — Khaled fights for an Islam rooted in pluralism, democracy, and justice.
At his side is Grace Song, his wife and partner, who shares in the danger and the defiance. Together they confront assassination attempts, smear campaigns, and the loneliness of standing against power.I’d Rather Be Dead Than Silent is a visceral portrait of courage under siege — a film that dares to ask what silence costs in an age of rising hate.
Make an Impact
Donate to our impact campaign! An impact campaign is a grassroots effort to use a film to create tangible change in the world.
We want to ignite community and faith-based conversations around humanizing and supporting Muslims, combating authoritarianism globally, and discovering what each of us can do as individuals to fight for human rights for all.Our goal is to put on 200+ screenings and discussions in 2026 with faith groups, student organizations, and activist communities across the United States, Canada, UK, and Australia.
Our audiences will leave each screening and discussion with next-step actions to take, so that the work doesn't stop after the film ends.We don’t have distribution yet, so an impact campaign is our best way to start these conversations.Every dollar you donate to this campaign goes straight to impact.Learn more.
Your donation helps:
🔸 Hold key screenings with thought leaders and change makers🔸 Offer affordable and reduced screening rates to community and student groups🔸 Pay for marketing and PR, website fees and graphics🔸 Build discussion guides🔸 Conduct outreach to faith groups and student organizations
The more we raise, the more conversations to humanize Muslims and combat authoritarianism we can facilitate. Join us today!
Director's Statement
From Director Tina Mascara
"Guido Santi – my late husband and filmmaking partner – and I started this project hoping to understand Islamophobia, but meeting Professor Khaled Abou El Fadl and Grace Song shifted everything. Their honesty and resilience challenged my own beliefs about Islam and revealed a deeply human story that refuses the stereotypes surrounding Muslims in America.
Finishing the film after Guido passed became a personal commitment — to him, and to the truth of their story."Tina MascaraTo learn more about Tina and Guido’s work, visit Asphalt Stars Productions.
