Your Weekly Dose of Immigrantly Vibes

August 22, 2025 • Read in 6 minutes

Dear Hyphenly Readers,

While most of today's media cater to the audience's needs, few bear witness to the everyday extraordinariness of immigrant life, such as love, food, faith, friendship, and creativity. 

Today, we’re catching you up with what’s been happening at all the podcasts that make up Immigrantly Media. Saadia sits down with award-winning filmmaker Nijla Mumin to discuss authentic Muslim storytelling in film on Immigrantly. On Love-ly, Mehak serves up a solo episode breaking down Pedro Pascal, Hinge nightmares, and why choosing yourself is the ultimate love story. Kavitha traces the fight for equal pay in women's sports from Billie Jean King to today on Sportly. And in a bittersweet moment, Aidan and Maya bid farewell to Banterly with their all-time Hall of Fame picks.

Faith, Film And the Power of Telling Muslim Stories Our Way

Award-winning filmmaker Nijla Mumin joins Saadia Khan for an unfiltered conversation on art, identity, and the freedom to hold multitudes. From the personal truths behind her debut feature Jinn (released in 2018) to the uphill battle for funding authentic Muslim stories, Nijla shares why representation can't be one-size-fits-all and how media can shift power. A must-listen for film lovers, culture critics, and anyone craving stories that go beyond the cliché.

You can connect with Saadia on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@swkkhan or email her at [email protected] to share your thoughts about the episode.

Battle of the Sexes and Beyond: Women Athletes Vs. the Pay Gap

From the 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" to Venus Williams' historic push at Wimbledon, women athletes have fought tirelessly for equal pay. In this episode of Sportly, host Kavitha Davidson explores how Billie Jean King, the "Original 9," and Venus Williams challenged tennis' biggest institutions and how their activism paved the way for equal prize money at all four Grand Slams. But the fight didn't stop there. Kavitha also traces the movement beyond tennis, from the US Women's National Team's lawsuit against U.S. Soccer to the WNBA players' demand for fair revenue sharing.

You can reach the host, Kavitha, at [email protected]

The Banterly Finale: Our Hall of Fame

After a year and a half of laughs, hot takes, and more banter than we ever imagined, Banterly is coming to a close. But don't worry—in this final episode, co-hosts Aidan and Maya leave us with recommendations for what's next, their current media obsessions, and their all-time favorites that make up the Banterly Hall of Fame (and yes—Aidan finally gets to talk about The Real Housewives). Most of all, they reflect on how much the show has meant to them and how much they've loved sharing it with you.

If you want to share your thoughts about this or other episodes, reach out at [email protected]

Pedro Pascal, Hinge Nightmares And Why Choosing Yourself Is the Real Love Story

What do Pedro Pascal, a bad Hinge date, and the rom-com Materialists have in common? They all expose the messy math of modern love. In this solo episode of Love-ly, Mehak spills on the good, the cringe, and the downright bizarre of dating in 2025, from men asking for exclusivity after a single dinner to the exhausting cycle of deleting and redownloading apps. Along the way, she breaks down Materialists (starring Pascal, Dakota Johnson, and Chris Evans) and why movies keep trapping women in false binaries between money and passion, stability and desire.

You can connect with Mehak @whatthemehak on TikTok and @whathemehak_ on IG

This newsletter was curated by Devna Shah.

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Hyphenly curates the latest news, art, and businesses from immigrants around the world. Have a tip or story we should feature? We’d love to hear from you.