A FILM documenting how the Muslim community has come together to fight on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic features Blackburn at its heart.

The project, which is in its tenth week, is the brain child of Rizwan Wadan, a British Muslim filmmaker who has credits working on feature films such as Star Wars: Rogue One and Oscar-winning The Favourite.

Mr Wadan and his team have so far captured over 800 hours of footage from all around the country, with the creator confirming the people of Blackburn and the town itself will play a central role in the finished film.

Borne out of Mr Wadan’s tiredness of divisive narratives focusing on negative angles of Muslim and minority communities, the film will focus on all the good work being done by thousands around the country.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, Mr Wadan said: “I decided to put aside my career, in order to dedicate the time and energy required to help create projects and initiatives that can help bridge the gaps between Islam, non-Muslims and the wider global community.

“We teamed up early on in the project with the EG Group, filming at some of their sites and getting stories, that’s what led us to Blackburn initially. Once here we became involved with the food hub initiative which is just absolutely phenomenal.

“It was then we realised this could be the heart of the story for us. We started to see the whole picture of how the town was dealing with the crisis, from big businesses to small businesses, restaurants, take-aways, cab drivers, individuals, neighbourhood teams, mosques and churches - the list goes on.”

Mr Wadan and his small team from Pixeleyed have been on the road together ever since as they complete the project.

Before the pandemic hit, Mr Wadan was preparing for the launch of his £1.2m anti-terrorism campaign ‘The Error in Terror’ which had to be postponed following the outbreak.

Ever since he has spent every moment volunteering alongside community groups on the frontline.

To watch the trailer and to support the project, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/covid19-a-community-working-together/