INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNES CINEMA VERITE 2009
PICTURES 2009
PATRONS 2009

H.M. QUEEN NOOR OF JORDAN
Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan is an international humanitarian activist and an outspoken voice on issues of world peace and justice. She is dedicated to promoting international dialogues and understanding of Arab and Muslim culture and politics Arab-Western relations and conflict prevention such as refugees missing persons poverty and disarmament. Queen Noor’s work In Jordan since 1978 has focused on education, health, sustainable development, women’s empowerment, human rights and arts as a medium for social development and cross cultural understanding. She is also actively involved with international and UN organizations that address global challenges in these fields. Her Majesty chairs the Noor Hussein Foundation, as well as the King Hussein Foundation International (KHFI) founded 1999 to build on King Hussein’s humanitarian vision and legacy in Jordan and abroad. In 2007, KHFI, launched the Media and Humanity Program during New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival. Her majesty is also co-founder of the Alliance of Civilizations Media Fund, an unprecedented, initiative by private media, the UN and global philantropists to promote media content that enhances mutual understanding and respect among societies and cultures. Queen Noor has been an active patron of the CINEMA VERITE Institute since its inception. Following her suggestion, the Focus of CINEMA VERITE 2008 is on Intercultural Understanding and Dialogue between Peoples.


BEKELE GELATA
Born in 1944 in a poor rural family in Ethiopia, Bekele Geleta’s journey is filled with rich but also extremely hard experiences. From that arises the unshakable will to spend his life making a difference in people’s lives.

In 1978, he goes from being a company’s general manager to a political prisoner because of his ethnic identity. He is imprisoned for 5 years.
1984, a famine ravages Ethiopia, the population is decimated. Hired by the Ethiopian Red-Cross Society, he works on the field in relief camps. This experience had a strong influence on him, “It’s extremely painful to see children suffering from lack of food and reaching a stage where they are malnourished and dying. That weighs very, very heavily on my mind. It’s one of the things that wakes me up at night”.
His humanitarian commitment won’t diminish, even when he becomes vice-minister of transport and communications or ambassador in Japan. During this last mandate, the situation in Ethiopia deteriorates, the government is overthrown. He doesn’t give his support to the new power in place. He decides to leave his country and takes refuge in Canada with his family.
A time of struggles begins. His determination finally allows him to work again in the humanitarian field. He won’t leave it anymore.

In 1966 he enters the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. After several high-duty positions, on the 1st July 2008, Bekele Geleta officially becomes General Secretary of this federation, the world’s biggest humanitarian organization.
H.M. QUEEN NOOR OF JORDAN
 
BEKELE GELATA
INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNES CINEMA VERITE 2008
PICTURES 2008
PATRONS 2008

H.M. QUEEN NOOR OF JORDAN
Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan is an international humanitarian activist and an outspoken voice on issues of world peace and justice. She is dedicated to promoting international dialogues and understanding of Arab and Muslim culture and politics Arab-Western relations and conflict prevention such as refugees missing persons poverty and disarmament. Queen Noor’s work In Jordan since 1978 has focused on education, health, sustainable development, women’s empowerment, human rights and arts as a medium for social development and cross cultural understanding. She is also actively involved with international and UN organizations that address global challenges in these fields. Her Majesty chairs the Noor Hussein Foundation, as well as the King Hussein Foundation International (KHFI) founded 1999 to build on King Hussein’s humanitarian vision and legacy in Jordan and abroad. In 2007, KHFI, launched the Media and Humanity Program during New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival. Her majesty is also co-founder of the Alliance of Civilizations Media Fund, an unprecedented, initiative by private media, the UN and global philantropists to promote media content that enhances mutual understanding and respect among societies and cultures. Queen Noor has been an active patron of the CINEMA VERITE Institute since its inception. Following her suggestion, the Focus of CINEMA VERITE 2008 is on Intercultural Understanding and Dialogue between Peoples.


YAMINA BENGUIGUI
DIRECTOR, DEPUTY MAYOR OF PARIS
Yamina Benguigui is a French-Algerian director and well known producer who, for more than fifteen years has been involved in exploring the human part of immigration in France.
Her feature documentary “Mémoires d’immigrés, l‘héritage maghrébin“ (1998) won the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco Festival, the Michel Mitrani Award at the FIPA, and the 7 d’Or of the best documentary. Her first feature film “Inch ‘Allah dimanche“ (2001) won the International Critic Award at the Toronto Film Festival, the Grand Prix at the International Film Festival of Marrakesh and the 3 main awards of the Festival au Féminin in Arcachon. She is the recipient of the Peace Award in Florence, and is a member of the “Haut Conseil à l’intégration” since 2006. In march 2008, she was elected deputy mayor to the Mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe, in charge of Human rights and against discrimination.
Yamina Benguigui is Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion D’Honneur and Officier of Arts et Lettres. Her documentary “Le plafond de verre” was unanimously applauded by critics.
The film « Aicha » for France 2 received The Prix Spécial du Jury at the last Television Festival in La Rochelle. She just completed a documentary for Canal + “93 Mémoire d un territoire“ which tells the history, and the daily life of a little known territory through moving testimonials. Her films and documentaries are studied in universities, and she is invited to do conferences around the world on her work.
Yamina Benguigui was a supporter of Cinema Verité 2007, she is now serving as Patron of Cinema verite 2008.
H.M. QUEEN NOOR OF JORDAN
 
YAMINA BENGUIGUI
 
ADEL IMAN
 
ERIN GRUWELL
 
EUZHAN PALCY
 
HANY ABU-ASSAD
 
JEREMY GILLEY, ANNIE LENNOX, JUDE LAW
 
ROMEO SAGANASH
 
ELSA ZYLBERSTEIN
 
GABRIELLA WRIGHT
AWARDS
CINEMA VERITE 2008 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

ADEL IMAN
Adel Imam, Egyptian born, is one of the most important actors in the Middle East – he has appeared in over 100 movies as well as having an active career in theater. Film is a medium through which he can explore his political convictions in a comic way and transport his message to a broad audience. His films The Terrorist (1991) and more recently, The Yacoubian Building (2006) have propelled him to fame as a socially
and politically active screen actor. In January 2000, the United Nations appointed him Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR. Since his appointment, Adel Imam has worked tirelessly for the cause of refugees and in opposition to religious extremism and political corruption.


CINEMA VERITE 2008 FICTION AWARD

ERIN GRUWELL

Erin Gruwell is an American teacher who has worked in inner city schools. She succeeded, against the odds, in motivating her students to write about their lives and to read books of other young people who wrote during periods of war and political unrest. Through this method, she created an educational environment of tolerance and succeeded in promoting intercultural relationships. She founded organization ‘The Freedom Writers Foundation’ in 1998, which spreads the Freedom Writing method throughout the world and promotes tolerance and understanding amongst people. In 1999, she wrote a book based on her experiences as a teacher called The Freedom Writers’ Diary which was the basis for the film Freedom Writers (2007) starring Hilary Swank.



CINEMA VERITE 2008 PRIZE, COMMITMENT

EUZHAN PALCY

Having read the Joseph Zobel’s novel Rue Cases Nègres that explores Martinique in the thirties, Euzhan Palcy discovered her vocation : to become a filmmaker who would give a voice to the Black Community. Her success was immediate. When she was just 24, she adapted Rue Cases Nègres for cinema. The result was a film that won seventeen international film awards. In her other cinematic projects, Euzhan Palcy has paid homage to the life and actions of Aimé Césaire – she has directed several films documenting his constant struggle for black cultural heritage. In 1994, she was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite medal and in 2004, she received the Legion of Honor. She is the first woman of African descent to direct a film for a major Hollywood studio with the Oscar-nominated A Dry White Season (1989) starring Marlon Brando and Susan Sarandon. She considers her role, as a film director, is to shed light on situations to encourage intercultural understanding.



CINEMA VERITE 2008 PRIZE, SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS CAMERA

HANY ABU-ASSAD
After six years of studying in the Netherlands, Hany Abu-Hassad returned to his Native Palestine where he worked on a television documentary for English television. His film Rana’s Wedding (2002) was presented at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2006, his film Paradise Now (2005) won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and it also received an Oscar Nomination in the same category earning him the honor of being the first Palestinian director to be nominated for an Academy Award.



PRIZE CINEMA VERITE, DOCUMENTARY

JEREMY GILLEY

Prize awarded to the Foundation Peace One Day for it’s social and humanitarian actions and given to it’s founder Jeremy Gilley, director of the documentary “The Day After Peace” with all the supporting artists and personalities tireless ambassadors of world peace.
The Day After Peace charts the remarkable 10-year long world journey taken by award winning filmmaker Jeremy Gilley to establish a day of Peace on September 21st. During the course of his mission the camera follows Gilley as he galvanizes the countries of the world to recognize this as an official day of ceasefire and non-violence. It is a moving testament to the power of an individual and the perseverance of the human spirit.
GUESTS OF HONOR
ROMEO SAGANASH

Romeo Saganash has been involved in numerous organizations relating to Indigenous and Cree affairs including the Cree Regional Youth Council (acting as Founding President), Creeco Inc., the James Bay Eeyou Corporation and the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi, his home community. He was Deputy Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Cree (of Quebec) and Vice-Chairman of the Cree Regional Authority from 1990 to 1993. Over the past twenty years, Mr. Saganash has represented the Cree people in numerous national and international conferences dealing with environmental issues, constitutional matters, self-determination questions, and international law & human rights as they relate to indigenous peoples in general. Since 1993, he has been the Director of Quebec and International Relations for the Grand Council of the Cree (Eeyou Istchee). He is the recipient of a lifetime achievement award (Prix d’excellence) from the University of Quebec (Montreal) in 2003 for his contribution to the advancement of Cree and aboriginal rights in Quebec.



ELSA ZYLBERSTEIN

Elsa Zylberstein won the Michel Simon award and the first of her three nominations thanks to the film “Van Gogh” by Pialat. Winner of the Romy Schneider Award in 1993, she has inspired young female directors like Pascale Bailly, Diane Bertrand (A Saturday on Earth, 1996) and above all Martine Dugowson with whom she made three films. The director gave her the lead part co-starring Romane Bohringer in the movie “Mina Tannenbaum” (1994). The actress played in historical movies from “Farinelli” (1994) to “Monsieur N” as well as “Jefferson à Paris” (1995). She played Suzanne Valadon in “Lautrec”, and the lover of “Modigliani” by Mick Davis starring Andy Garcia. In “Tenue Correcte Exigée” (1997), Elsa Zylberstein became enamoured of an homosexual clarinettist in “Man is a woman” (1998) starring Antoine de Caunes. The mix of romantism and magnificent obsession could only charm Raoul Ruiz who directed the actress in the movie based on a novel “Marcel Proust’s Time Regained” (1999) but also in the bizarre “Love Torn in Dream” (2000) and “That Day”. Showing an extraordinary eclectism, drifted from a film by Akerman to a comedy starring Kad Merad («J’invente rien », 2006), from a personal change around a novel by Christine Angot (“Why (Not) Brazil?” directed by Laetitia Masson) to a blockbuster based on a best-seller (“The Stone Council”, 2006). In 2008, she is playing in two contemporary chroniques shown at the Festival of Berlin “I’ve Loved You So Long” (2008) by Philippe Claudel which exceeded the million of tickets in France and released in the USA and “The Feelings factory” (2008) by Jean Marc Moutou.


GABRIELLA WRIGHT
Gabriella Wright is an international actress who played in several movies directed by Abel Ferrara, Vijay Singh, Ariel Zeitoun and Johnathan Rhys Meyer.
The ‘Gabriella’ jewellery collection with its OM symbol confirms Gabriella Wright as the peace message ambassador of the Safe World Peace association. As a long-standing peace campaigner involved in the Tibetan cause and the plight of street children, Gabriella meets Fadia Otte, a Lebanese jeweler and founder of SAFE WORLD PEACE. Together Fadia and Gabriella decide to create the ‘Gabriella‘ collection which links SAFE WORLD PEACE jewellery Line that consists of the three main symbols of the monotheistic religions ; the Christian cross, the star of David and the crescent of Islam, to the OM symbol.
This jewellery is signed by a lotus flower bearing the initials GW. To be able to transcend religion, accept one’s differences and live in Unity. 10% of all jewellery sales go directly to SAFE WORLD PEACE. This association seeks to build schools in countries crippled by wars and to develop educational programs to help promote a greater tolerance and understanding towards these beliefs and their differences through the pure understanding of human values.The safe world peace association supports 4 humanitarian projects a year. Safe World Peace association also serves as a Patron for feature film documentarys, promoting the message of peace.