Ukrainian Journalist Mstyslav Chernov Awarded IBC2024 International Honour for Excellence

IBC2024 Awards International Honour for Excellence to Ukrainian Journalist Mstyslav Chernov

IBC today announces that the IBC2024 International Honour for Excellence (IHFE), its most prestigious award, will be conferred on Ukraine’s MSTYSLAV CHERNOV for his work as a video journalist and his groundbreaking film 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL. The award recognises the resolve and skill as filmmaker demonstrated by Chernov in uncovering the unvarnished truth that he and his Associated Press (AP) team witnessed on the ground as they covered the siege of the Ukrainian city by Russian forces in early 2022. The award will be presented at the IBC Innovation Awards ceremony at 18.30 CEST on Sunday, 15 September at the RAI Amsterdam.

A multi-award-winning journalist and President of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF), Mstyslav Chernov documented the siege in Mariupol as one of the last remaining international media representatives in the city. Video materials from his work became the basis of 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL, Mstyslav Chernov’s first feature film. Produced with the support of AP and the PBS investigative documentary series Frontline, the film offers a harrowing example of the importance of video in fighting back against news disinformation in an era of false reports and deep fakes.

Michael Crimp, IBC’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “People are at the heart of our industry, which exists to support those who want to speak to the world. In honouring Mstyslav Chernov with this year’s IHFE for his work as a war correspondent, video journalist and filmmaker, we are recognising the courage, creativity, skill and determination he has shown in capturing some of the most affecting stories we have seen in the last few years. At a time when it is critical to produce video that reveals the reality of conflicts around the world and challenges the fake news and disinformation being disseminated, Mstyslav and the teams he works with exemplify integrity and the best in our industry.”

Mstyslav Chernov has covered the Russian invasion in Ukraine, conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Nagorno-Karabakh, and Afghanistan during the return of Taliban rule after US withdrawal. In covering the siege of Mariupol, video of the conflict was periodically sent to the AP editorial office from the only place there was still an online connection – under the stairs near the crushed grocery store – but much of the footage Mstyslav Chernov shot could not be sent online and was carried out by the AP team though the humanitarian corridor. 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL draws on Chernov’s daily news dispatches and additional footage he shot to provide a vivid account of civilians caught in the siege and a window into what it’s like to report from a conflict zone.

Mstyslav Chernov and the team of journalists working with him – Evgeniy Maloletka, Vasilisa Stepanenko, and Lori Hinnant – were awarded the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service for their courageous reporting from the besieged city. The film itself – written, directed and narrated by Chernov – has received more than 20 awards, including the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at this year’s Academy Awards, Best Documentary at the British Film and Television Academy (BAFTA) Awards, and the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023.

IBC

www.ibc.org

Life in the UAE Documentaries, Dubai, Maraya Art Centre

Life in the UAE Documentaries - Short films
Maraya Art Centre, Dubai
April 6th 2013

In conjunction with the Dubai International Film Festival 2013 (DIFF), Maraya Art Centre will host a screening night celebrating and supporting young Emirati filmmakers on Saturday, April 6th 2013.

Opening with an intimate reception at 7pm, the evening will feature screenings from some of the Emirate’s best up and coming filmmakers, all of whom have been previously featured at the Gulf Film Festival (GFF). The screening will consist of five short films which range in genre from fashion to politics.

“Through our thriving partnership with the Maraya Art Centre we are very pleased to once again have the opportunity to expose the community to these young and vibrant film makers,” said DIFF Artistic Director and GFF Festival Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali. “All films, which have previously been showcased at GFF, were fantastically received by the local audiences and this is an ideal opportunity to expose film lovers to these films which contain emotions and storylines that really resonate with the local audience. We are dedicated to nurturing young Emirati talent and providing them with opportunities to showcase their artistic work throughout the year; this relationship offers a unique platform to engage wider audiences to experience these films.”

Showcased at GFF 2012, The Gamboo3a Revolution by Abdulrahman Al Madani, revolves around recent fashion trends, namely the beehive hairdo and questions whether it misuses the UAE’s cultural dress. Also screened at GFF 2012 Ana Arabi (I am Arab) by Jumana Al Ghanem explores the loss of the Arabic language due to modernization and a need to conform to social standards while Cats by Dubai Men’s College student Marwan Alhammadi looks into the recent trend of owning exotic pets among some Emiratis.

Meanwhile Second Wife by Moza al Sharif, screened in GFF 2010, allows viewers to witness the importance of cars to Emirati men. Finally Al Kandorah, a documentary from directors Lamya Al Mualla and Maitha Al Haddad examines the shift in attitudes towards the Kandorah, the traditional attire favoured by the Gulf’s men.

Giuseppe Moscatello, Maraya Art Centre Manager, commented: “Culture and art are inextricable. Every artist is a product of his or her time, culture, and society and there are few mediums as adept at capturing the interplay between artist and environment as film. With its rich cultural traditions Sharjah forms an exceptional backdrop for exploring the talents of the region and we are very pleased to be able to throw the spotlight on the Emirate’s amazing emerging film talent through this unique event.”

MARAYA ART CENTRE, DUBAI

PROGRAMME / FILMS' SYNOPSIS

AL KANDORAH

15 min

Directors: LAMYA AL MUALLA & MAITHA AL HADDAD

This documentary directed by Lamya Al Mualla and Maitha Al Haddad looks at the kandorah, the traditional men’s attire of the UAE – from examining new styles and trends to contrasting the attitudes of different generations about this symbol of national identity and pride.

SECOND WIFE

14 min

Director: MOZA AL SHARIF

The 14-minute documentary directed by Moza al Sharif takes a look at Emirati men’s obsession with their cars. It is a series of comments from young Emirati men and women, where the humorous tone does not mask the seriousness of the message. Women claim men are willing to spend more money on their cars than getting married. “They’re willing to take out massive loans and spend up to Dh400,000 on a car but that leaves them penniless when they get married”.

ANA ARABI (I am Arab)

21 min

Directors: AHLAM ALBANNAI & JUMANA AL GHANEM

Ana Arabi is a 21-minute documentary lament against the dilution of the Arabic language and culture by foreign influences. It is co-directed by Ahlam Albannai and Jumana al Ghanem. The film explores the status of Arabic as a language among today’s Arab youth. It suggests innovative solutions towards preserving the language and its use.

CATS

15 min

Director: MARWAN ALHAMMADI 

A 15-minute short film directed by Marwan Alhammadi, titled Cats, goes into villas and farms across the UAE where proud owners talk about their prized possessions, as the majestic cats lounge around them. In the film, many of those interviewed own three or more of the exotic animals. In a revealing preface, the film claims that over 3,000 people in the UAE have wild animals as domestic pets. Of those, many own three or more.

THE GAMBOO3A REVOLUTION

17 min

Director: ABDULRAHMAN AL MADANI

When the traditional ‘sheila’ and ‘abaya’ were reinvented to launch the ‘gamboo3a’ trend (the bee-hive hair or ‘camel hump’), society was divided over it. The Gamboo3a Revolution directed by Abdulrahman Al Madani explores the debate of fashion vs. modesty.

Maraya Art Centre Website: www.maraya.ae

Gulf Film Festival Website: http://gulffilmfest.com

Act Up! Documentary film on the history of the organization

Gus Van Sant, Executive Producer of ACT UP!, a documentary chronicling the early days of AIDS activism, to host benefit for film. Star-studded event’s sponsors include Susan Sarandon, Christine Vachon, Phil Donahue, Judith Light, Carson Kressley and Ted Allen

On Wednesday, May 25, 2011, Academy Award-winning director Gus Van Sant will host a cocktail reception from 6:30-8:30 PM at New York City’s LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street (between 7th & Greenwich Avenues) in Manhattan to raise funds for ACT UP!, a new documentary film now in production.* Van Sant, the acclaimed director of films including Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho, To Die For, Good Will Hunting and Milk is overseeing the production. A portion of the proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit AIDS organizations worldwide through a collaborative partnership with UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS.

The film traces the history of ACT UP – the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power – a group of New Yorkers who mobilized when municipal, state and federal government all turned a blind eye as their friends, families and loved ones were being decimated by a then-untreatable disease. ACT UP’s urgent mission was to pressure government to acknowledge the raging AIDS epidemic and take emergency measures to combat it. ACT UP’s founding New York chapter spawned branches throughout America and across the globe. Refusing to be passive victims, AIDS activists updated the civil disobedience tactics of the 1960s with a media-savvy flair that riveted the attention of the nation. Ultimately, ACT UP forced timid political leaders and an apathetic government bureaucracy to respond comprehensively to a grave public health crisis.

Assembled from hundreds of hours of historic footage and contemporary interviews under the guidance of Producers/Directors Scott Robbe (Queer Eye For The Straight Guy) and Jerry Kolber (National Geographic Television, Jedi Junkies), a major asset of the film is never-before-seen footage shot in 1987 and 1988 by Scott Robbe featuring interviews with key members of ACT UP! amidst the organization’s most tumultuous period. ACT UP! is being co-directed by Ellen Spiro (Body of War, named Best Documentary of 2007 by the National Board of Review).

Within a few years of its founding, ACT UP’s strategically-targeted activism spurred the Food & Drug Administration to shave years off the approval process for medications that held promise to treat AIDS and led to an almost 50% decrease in the cost of treatments. It is the legacy of ACT UP to have transformed what was once a death sentence into a manageable disease. Importantly, ACT UP!  shows how ordinary citizens can mobilize to successfully challenge outmoded government policies and protocols. Indeed, ACT UP! sparked the emergence of dozens of patient and consumer advocacy groups around the nation and worldwide to strategically pressure government, corporations and institutions to be more alert and responsive to life-threatening health crises.

By drawing on extensive archives of footage filmed on handheld cameras by video activists, the film captures the dynamic energy of protest. You are there as demonstrators aggressively take their fight to jar public awareness into the majestic halls of Grand Central Station, onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and directly to the Centers for Disease Control and the FDA in Washington. Combined with current interviews of key participants and contemporaneous news reports on ACT UP’s often shocking tactics, spliced together in a fast-paced, music video style of editing with a hip, kinetic soundtrack, the audience’s senses are carried along with the irresistible force of democracy being fulfilled.

One reason why ACT UP! is an essential film for our time is because it captures the story of what was one of the most effective grassroots movements of the modern era. Now, when HIV transmission rates are on the rise among many demographics and the battle for marriage equality is being fought in voting booths and courthouses across America, a new generation of activists need to be inspired and emboldened. Just as Van Sant’s Milk brought the important story of the early gay rights movement to a new generation, ACT UP! will recontextualize the powerful accomplishments of AIDS activists for a 21st century audience.

ACT UP! is currently in production with the expectation of premiering at Sundance 2012, followed by wide theatrical release and television broadcast. A companion record album produced by Anthony Rapp (Rent) and a coffee-table book co-written by producers/directors Scott Robbe and Jerry Kolber will accompany the film’s release. Sponsors of and participants in the May 25th fundraiser for the film in addition to Gus Van Sant include Susan Sarandon, Christine Vachon (Producer, Far From Heaven, Boys Don't Cry, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), fashion guru and author Carson Kressley of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, talk show host Phil Donahue, food critic and Chopped host Ted Allen, and openly-gay and HIV-positive New York State Senator Tom Duane.

* Mr. Van Sant may have scheduling conflicts that could prevent him from attending the event.

Feed Your Head Productions

www.feedyourheadtv.com