Start of a new school year brings new opportunities to meet accomplished filmmakers on AU’s campus. This year we will be hosting teams of award-winning filmmakers who have directed and produced the films in our annual Human Rights Film Series. Tribeca’s ‘Best New Director’ Michael Collins will join us; Karim El Hakim of "½ Revolution" will chime in, Filmmakers Magazine ’25 New Faces of Independent Film’ Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall will talk to us about their groundbreaking film; and Guggenheim Fellow Pamela Yates along with seasoned producer, Paco de Onis will finish out the fall series discussing their award winning films and careers.
Thursday, September 27
Michael Collins and Marty Syjuco
For over seven years Michael and Marty have been telling the story of Paco Larranaga through their film "Give Up Tomorrow." The film has had an incredibly successful festival run, premiering at Tribeca Film Festival (and winning the Audience Award) and then traveling to a host of other festivals around the world, winning additional acclamations along the way. The filmmakers have also claimed top recognition including Special Jury Prize for Best New Director at Tribeca. Through the NYC based production company, Thoughtful Robot, Michael and his exceptional team create thought-provoking human rights films that spur social change.
Michael Collins Master class - 2:35pm
Wechsler Theater, American University
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A renowned director and cinematographer, Karim has contributed to political documentaries both in the Arab world and internationally. He received the Egyptian State Prize for Best Cinematography in 2006 and since has had numerous films for which he was a contributing director of photography win awards, including Alex Gibney's "My Trip to Al Qaeda" (2010), Tahani Rachid's "Giran" (2009), and Jehane Noujaime and Sherif El Katcha's "Egypt We Are Watching You" (2008). His film "1/2 Revolution" premired at Sundance Film Festival in 2011 and has represented both the role of film and media in the Arab Spring, while also asking important questions about the future of democracy in the Middle Eastern country.
With some of the most anticipated new faces in independent film (just look to Filmmakers Magazine for proof!), Katherine and Malika bring fresh ideas to documentary filmmaking. Attending top-notch film schools (Katherine) and reporting around the world (Malika), they were able to combine their skills to produce the widely acclaimed film, "Call Me Kuchu."