HDI Bulletin |
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Second Iraqi Filmmaker Wins International Recognition at TriBeCa Film Festival |
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Cosmo DeNicola, Humpty Dumpty Institute Director, Hosts VIP Luncheon at UN Headquarters |
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May 4, 2015 - For Immediate Release |
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Iraqi Filmmaker Yasir Kareem was honored at a luncheon hosted by Humpty Dumpty Institute Director Cosmo DeNicola on Monday, April 20, 2015 at United Nations headquarters in New York City. Mr. Kareem was in New York representing his short film "Kingdom of Garbage". The film was selected for competition at the 2015 TriBeCa Film Festival. It is one of six short films which were made possible by a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to the Humpty Dumpty Institute. It is also the second film of the six that has been widely recognized at international film festivals around the world.
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In 2014, working with noted Iraqi filmmaker Mohamed al-Dharadji and U.S. independent filmmaker Bill Megalos, the Humpty Dumpty Institute selected six Iraqi filmmakers for a program that included a ten-day specially designed study course at UCLA’s well known School of Theater and Film. Of the six films resulting from this project, the first, "Gift of my Father" by Salam Salman, won the Crystal Bear Award in its category at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival. Yasir Kareem’s short film "Kingdom of Garbage" received a Special Jury Mention in the highly competitive Student Visionary Award Category at the 2015 TriBeCa Film Festival. TriBeCa’s jury reflected eloquently on Mr. Kareem’s film: "Before we announce the award, we’d first like to make a Special Jury Mention to a gripping story of survival, a Lord of the Flies set in Iraq—its incredible imagery and character development leads us to an inspiring message. Please join me in applauding the evening’s first Special Jury Mention, Kingdom of Garbage directed by Yasir Kareem."
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Guests honoring Yasir Kareem at the UN lunch included members of the UN Diplomatic Corps including Ambassadors from Australia, the United States, Turkey, Palau, and Kazakhstan, senior executives from New York’s film and media industries, the World Bank, and senior United Nations officials from the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the Department of Public Information. |
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This program was part of Humpty Dumpty’s International Film Exchange program (IFE). IFE brings young filmmakers from around the world to Hollywood, providing them with the opportunity to study at UCLA and helping them to develop the technical and creative tools needed to document important social issues in their countries of origin. While in the United States, young foreign filmmakers are also exposed to different Hollywood studios and film executives as a way to expand their knowledge of the business of film making. For more information visit our website at www.thehdi.org or contact Joe Merante. |
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The Humpty Dumpty Institute is a unique non-profit organization serving people in the developing world through the implementation of large-scale humanitarian projects and through its work with the United Nations. Over the past six years, HDI has implemented significant mine action, agricultural development and school feeding projects in Angola, Mozambique, Lebanon, Laos, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. These projects are sponsored by individuals, foundations and governments. In addition, HDI fosters dialogue and implements programs between the United Nations and a variety of constituencies in the United States including the U.S. Congress, universities and the creative community, all of which are designed to help the U.N. become an even more effective Institution. For more information, please visit our website at www.thehdi.org.
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