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Young Kurdish Filmmaker Is UN Intercultural Leader

Teymour Qaderi in his film deals with the global issue of migration and focuses on the drowning of Alan Kurdi, a 3-year old Syrian boy of Kurdish ethnic background, when he and his family were trying to reach Europe amid the refugee crisis
A screenshot from ‘Big Fish’
A screenshot from ‘Big Fish’
Plural + is a youth-produced video festival which encourages young people to explore migration, diversity and social inclusion, and to share their creative vision with the world

Teymour Qaderi, a young Kurdish filmmaker from Kamyaran, in the province of Kurdistan, has been selected as ‘Intercultural Leader’ by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

In appreciation of his short film ‘Big Fish,’ Qaderi, 27, was awarded the Intercultural Innovation Award 2017, a partnership that aims to select and support the most innovative grassroots projects that encourage intercultural dialogue and cooperation around the world.

The UNAOC was established in 2005 as a political initiative by Kofi Annan, former UN secretary general and co-sponsored by the governments of Spain and Turkey, IRNA reported.

A high-level group of experts was formed by Annan to explore the roots of polarization between societies and cultures, and to recommend a practical program of action to address this issue. The report of the group provided analysis and put forward practical recommendations that form the basis for the implementation plan of the UNAOC.

Qaderi’s film deals with the global issue of migration and focuses on the drowning of Alan Kurdi, a 3-year old Syrian boy of Kurdish ethnic background. He and his family were Syrian refugees trying to reach Europe amid the refugee crisis.

In the early hours of September 2, 2015, Kurdi and his family boarded a small plastic or rubber inflatable boat, which capsized about five minutes after leaving Bodrum in Turkey.

Sixteen people were in the boat, which was designed for a maximum of eight people. They were trying to reach the Greek island of Kos, about 30 minutes or 4 km from Bodrum. After he drowned on that day, the image of Alan’s lifeless body made global headlines.

  Promoting Intercultural Dialogue

Due to the success of his film, Qaderi is now one of the UN’s intercultural leaders. With ‘Big Fish,’ he has managed to establish and promote an intercultural dialogue.

Big Fish is about an old man fishing in a lake. He intends to catch a big fish, but all he gets is a number of small fishes. At the end, the film takes a warning tone: If the refugee crisis does not get handled, the next thing a fisherman could catch might be a drowned refugee.

Qaderi and other awardees each will receive $1,000 and Plural + International Jury Award.

Plural + is a youth-produced video festival which encourages young people to explore migration, diversity and social inclusion, and to share their creative vision with the world.

It is a joint initiative between the UNAOC and the International Organization for Migration, with a network of over 50 partner organizations that support the creative efforts of young people and distribute their videos worldwide.

Since 2009, over 1,500 entries from 110 countries have participated in the festival. Winning videos have been screened in dozens of festivals, cinemas and broadcast on television networks throughout the world.

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