2008 International Student Profiles

Lebanon

Adonis
Adonis is currently a student at the Universite Saint Joseph (Institut D’etudes sceniques et audiovisuelles) who has been a Chief Editor for a TV news show and an executive producer for short movies and documentaries.  She was born in Beirut, and after college, she hopes to enroll in a masters degree program in television production, and eventually a Ph.D. in Cinematography with a research emphasis on mass media, popular culture and the film industry.  She considers multiculturalism as her favorite theme of life.  In addition to her studies, she enjoys folkloric dancing, scuba diving and is a member of an organization for children against cancer. 

Sarah
Born in Beirut, Sarah is a student at the Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts who has produced numerous video projects and is also an animator, illustrator  and painter.  Her work has been in exhibitions and she has also served as a set designer and executive director of a theater performance in Beirut.  After graduation, Sarah plans to enroll in a masters program specializing in new media art with the goal one day of creating an animated film about Beirut. 

Naji
A citizen of Lebanon, Naji was born in Germany, and is a student at Notre Dame University, Louaize who is majoring in communication arts with an emphasis on radio, television and film.  He is also a freelance editor and has been an intern at Al Sumaria TV in Lebanon.  After graduation, Naji plans to pursue a Masters degree in Fine Arts, and hopes eventually to work on films with a special emphasis on scriptwriting and directing.  He would also like to teach and pass on what he has learned to the next generation of filmmakers.  Naji is an active member of the Lebanese Red Cross and is in charge of media and public relations in his village. 

Egypt

Aida
Aida is studying at the Academy of Arts, Higher Institute of Cinema in Cairo, and she has directed numerous short films and documentaries in Arabic and English.  She has also worked on several films in different capacities including as a first assistant director and a continuity supervisor.  She has also received additional training through workshops in German. 

After graduation, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in filmmaking with the eventual goal of being a director.   Aida is particularly interested in Egyptian poetry, human rights issues, and enjoys dancing and playing music. 

Alaa
Alaa was born in Kuwait, is a citizen of Egypt and lives in Cairo where she attends the Academy of Arts, Higher Institute of Cinema where this year she will direct her first short movie.  Her future plans are to be a film director.  Alaa also has a degree in English Literature, and her interests include Formula One car racing, attending live concerts, movies.  She is also a member on a handball team. 

Hossam
Hossam is also a student at the Academy of Arts, Higher Institute of Cinema who is specializing in editing.  He has edited four short movies and two documentaries.  After graduation, he would like to increase his knowledge in editing in an academic setting and eventually working professionally in the Egyptian cinema industry.  He is interested in finding bridges between the West and the East, and believes that this program will help him develop the artistic language to build those bridges.  He enjoys reading, listening to music, dancing, singing and acting. 

France

Nora
Nora is a graduate student from the Institute of Political Sciences in Paris. She is now working at the Festival de Cannes. She has been a screenwriter, stage manager, festival coordinator and production assistant. She is also involved in several associations including one she created in 2004 to promote Eastern European culture abroad. Nora always plays several roles in the cultural events she sets. Last year she organized a contemporary art exhibition for which she shot a "making-off" released on DVD and some experimental movies that got exhibited as well. She often conceives posters for the cultural events she contributes to, as she has been drawing since childhood. While in the Lycée (she spent her Terminale in London), Nora wrote music for students short movies. She has a strong interest in Polish cinema and graphics (she has lived one year in Cracow and speaks Polish fluently). She has now completed several internships in the cinema domain, and plans to enter a film school next year.  

Eline
Eline attends Lettres Superieures at Henri Poincaré High School with a major in Film Studies after receiving her Baccalaureate as a cinema major where she wrote several scripts and produced two short films.  She hopes to attend La Sorbonne for graduate studies. Eline is an avid filmgoer who belongs to a cinema association and attends the cinema up to three times a week. 

She has attended several film festivals including Cannes last year.  In the future she is considering being a film reviewer or scriptwriter. 

Bastien
Bastien attended Ecole Normale Superieure de Lettres in Lyon where he received his Baccalaureate with high Distinction and is now in his first year in the Film Study major.  He has produced a short film, created a theater group with friends and is interested in several aspects of cinema, including production, distribution, theory and esthetics. 

The Philippines

Arby
Arby was born in Manila and is currently a student at Far Eastern University where he has received awards for cinematography and sound in the films he has made.  He has directed and shot several short films, both narrative and documentaries, and served an internship at the national film center.  He has participated in several workshops in screenwriting, video seminars, and various forums.  He is the head, Creative Committee of the university’s film society and has a special interest in cinematography, lighting and sound.  After graduation, he plans to pursue a master’s degree in filmmaking at the University of the Philippines. 

Helen
Helen is a student at Miriam College in Quezon City, majoring in communication arts.  She has written, directed and edited three projects and she has a special interest in film production, acting in theater and she co-wrote a stage play for a theater group.  This year, she received a school award for “best in television production” and “best in journalism.”  She is also the editor-in-chief of the online Communication Arts and Advertising’s department newsletter, and is on the varsity badminton team.  After graduation, she intends to pursue graduate studies in film production, broadcasting and theater production. 

Jet
Jet is a student at Far Eastern University in Manila in the Department of Mass Communications where he has acted in, written, edited and directed several screenplays and theater productions, including being awarded honors for his work as a director, actor and writer.  He has participated in a screenwriting workshop and workshops led by leading Filipino filmmakers.  He is the vice president of the university’s film society and the president/executive director of its theater guild, and is a musician (guitar, bass, drums) and a photographer.  He also serves as an intern at the Independent Filmmakers of the Philippines.

Mexico

Raul
Raul is a student at the National Autonomous University of Mexico majoring in philosophy, and the Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica focusing on film studies.  After graduation, he hopes to pursue graduate studies at an American or European film program.  His special interests include film directing, screenwriting, theatre, philosophy, art and music and he pursues photography as a hobby.  He has been to the U.S. three times for short vacations, including stops in New York and San Francisco. 

Ana
Ana attends the Centro Capacitacion Cinematográfica and the Universidad Autónoma Metroplitana where she is studying psychology which she says is a key tool for scriptwriting.  Ana has directed, acted in and written several plays for several years, beginning in high school and continuing through the university.  She is a member of Life Quality Project International, a group focused on well-being through courses and medical help.  Her special interests include gestalt psychology, music, classic physics, absurd drama, comic strips, poetry, short stories, cooking, studying the works of important filmmakers, theatre and concerts. She is also involved in African percussion, flamenco dance and paper mache crafts. 


Ana Victoria
Ana Victoria is a student at Universidad de Monterrey majoring in Mass Media, and has also taken several production courses at The Film Workshops-Monterrey.  After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in filmmaking. She currently hosts a weekly radio show about cinema history and has participated in the production of several short films.  Ana’s special interests include news reporting, acting, creative writing, cooking, voluntary teaching and working on humanitarian aid projects, including missionary work in Kenya with the Maasai.