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PLURAL + 2011 Youth Video Festival on Media, Diversity and Social Inclusion


23 Videos Awarded in New York City

Young media makers from Malaysia, UK, Italy, Canada, Israel, USA, Germany and China, among other countries, gathered at the Paley Center for Media in New York City on November 10th for the PLURAL+ 2011 Awards Ceremony.

In its third edition, PLURAL+ 2011 received 146 videos coming from 54 countries, representing diverse youth visions advocating for a better world. A prestigious international jury selected four videos, one for each age group (9-12, 13-17, 18-25), with a tie in the 9-12 category. On November 10th Nyasha Laing, International Jury Member, presented these awards.

Anna Torazza and Mariagrazia Destefanis of Laboratorio Immagine 2 from Torino, Italy, accepted the 9-12 age category award for the video The Moving of Rosa Dao. 12-year old Jordan Somani, Canada, accepted the award for his video We are all Different. For the 13-17 age category, Walden Davis, United States, received the award for his video Out of Many, One. From Malaysia, Pang Jia Wei, video maker, and Ryan Tan Chuan Min, producer, accepted the 18-25 age category International Jury Award for their video Gift.
Watch these videos here.

The Master of Ceremonies of the PLURAL + 2011 Awards Ceremony was Hon. George “Rithm” Martinez, U.S. State Department Cultural Envoy/Hip Hop Ambassador and Founder of the Global Block Foundation. Special guests included Diane Lewis, Vice President, Public Affairs and Programs, The Paley Center for Media; Stéphane Dujarric, Director, United Nations Department of Public Information, News and Media Division; Marc Scheuer, Director, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations; Michele Klein-Solomon, Permanent Observer to the United Nations, International Organization for Migration; and Jordi Torrent, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, PLURAL + Project Manager. Live music by the Global Block Collective and a youth empowerment poem by Mokgethi Thinane, Urban World NYC, were also featured.
View the complete program here.

Partner organizations also awarded video entries from PLURAL+ 2011. The Paley Center for Media Education Award, presented by Rebekah Fisk and Nicole Kempskie was accepted by Eli Rezik, Israel, for his video Between Us Two. The SIGNIS Award, presented by Frank Frost, and the COPEAM Award, presented by Feten Fradi, were accepted by Tariq Chowdhury, United Kingdom, for his video Faith in London. Chowdhury also received a PLURAL + 2011 award from BaKaFORUM, who graciously made his trip to New York possible. Chris Lamontagne, United Kingdom, was awarded the Scalabrini International Migration Network Award, presented by Fr. Leonir Chiarello, for his video Black to Yellow. The Gülen Institute Award, presented by Ali R. Candir, was accepted by Lea Dienhart for her video Migration.

The United Nations Television Award, presented by Stéphane Dujarric, was accepted by Jia Ni on behalf of Liu Wenfeng, Yi Cunyu and Zhang Nan, China, for their video Wish. Mehmet Kilic presented the Turkish Cultural Center New York “Friendship Award,” which was accepted by Rochelle Roca-Hachem from UNESCO New York, on behalf of Chris Royle, Ronan MacParland and Zoe Gordan, Canada, for their video I Believe. The Wafalme Crew, Kenya, received the UNESCO Igualada Association Award and the Barcelona Forum of Cultures Award for their video Kidz 4 Kidz, accepted on their behalf by Tmnit Nur. The Wafalme Crew also received the Global Block Award for their video Our Hood, accepted on their behalf by Clara Guerrero Martinez. In total, 23 videos are receiving PLURAL + 2011 Awards.
See all the award-winning videos here: PLURAL + 2011 video page.

Responding to PLURAL +’s call for participation in the festival, young people from around the world produced short videos addressing the challenges of migration, diversity and social inclusion, as well as denouncing injustices while proposing their own original and creative solutions to develop more peaceful and multicultural societies.

The goal of PLURAL + Video Festival is to ensure youth engagement in these important issues both at local and global levels by making their videos available through a variety of media platforms and distribution networks including broadcasts, internet, festivals, conferences and events around the world.

PLURAL + Video Festival is a powerful platform to raise awareness on many issues affecting communities worldwide. “Probably the most impressive thing are the stories. I learned a lot from different cultures and social issues in various nations” said PLURAL+ 2011 international jury member Renzo Devia.

PLURAL+ creates a unique opportunity for young people to express themselves on these important issues. “I think this year’s edition of PLURAL+ clearly shows that young people have something to say about migration and intercultural understanding. We should listen to them,” said Markus Nikel from PLURAL+ partner BakaFORUM added.

PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival on Migration, Diversity and Social Inclusion is a joint project of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNOAC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) with the support of many partner organizations from around the world, including: Anna Lindh Foundation, BaKaFORUM, CHINH India, Roots & Routes Germany, United Nations TV, Media Education Center Belgrade, UNESCO Audiovisual E-Platform, COPEAM, Turkish Cultural Center of New York, SunChild Festival Armenia, Cine y Salud Spain, SIGNIS, Global Block USA, Red UNIAL Cuba, Without Borders Film Festival, Scalabrini International Migration Network, Royal Film Commission of Jordan, Universal Forum of Cultures Foundation, NEXOSAlianza Spain, ictQatar, MTS Travel, Gülen Institute, and the Paley Center for Media.

Please visit PLURAL+ for additional information:
www.unaoc.org/pluralplus

Winning videos can be viewed here: PLURAL + 2011 video page