The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”
Oula A. Alrifai and Mouhanad Al Rifay will introduce their new award winning short documentary film, Tomorrow's Children, about six Syrian children who escaped the war in Aleppo, Syria and were forced into child labor in Turkey. Oula Alrifai is the Executive Producer of Tomorrow's Children and a second-year master's candidate at Harvard University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences's Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES). Alrifai is a Student Intern at the Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. Previously Alrifai was a political asylee from Damascus, Syria, in 2005 and received her American citizenship in 2016. Mouhanad Al Rifay is the Director of Tomorrow's Children, humanitarian and human rights activist. He has been involved in the Syrian democracy movement years before the uprising, disseminating information about human rights violations to Western media. For graduate studies at Harvard University, Al Rifay aims to further develop expertise in narrative writing and journalism. Al Rifay was a political asylee and received U.S. citizenship in 2015.
Farah Nabulsi will introduce her short documentary film, Today They Took My Son, based on a UNICEF report about a mother coping with her young son being taken away. Nabulsi is a British Palestinian filmmaker, human rights advocate and founder of Oceans of Injustice. She writes, directs and produces creative short films on Palestinian life under occupation. Her work has been screened internationally at film festivals, universities and the United Nations. Her forthcoming film, "The Present", underscores the importance of freedom of movement as a basic human right.
Ayny by Ahmad Saleh is a short animated film about two refugee boys who dream to play music.
Tomorrow's Children (Turkey, 2018)
Tomorrow’s Children follows fourteen-year-old Amjad, his sister Fatima and their friends. After fleeing the horrific war in Syria, the children became the main breadwinners in their families. Barely securing their basic survival needs, they found themselves stuck in a cycle of child labor in the city of Gaziantep, Turkey. This group of refugee children are fighting to survive under the most horrible circumstances and never letting go of what is important in life, their right to an education.
Team
Oula A. Alrifai, Executive Producer, Mouhanad A. Al-Rifay, Director and Producer, Hawa B. Toure, Editor and Producer, Khawla Yusuf, Producer, John Jacks, Cinematographer, Kevin Bassinson, Music Composer, Alicia Hirsch, Post-Production Consultant, Elisha Drons, Sound, Christy Batta, Graphic Designer, Ashley Simmons, Subtitle Reviewer.
Today They Took My Son (Palestine, 2017)
Since 2000, over 10,000 Palestinian children are taken into Israeli MILITARY detention where they suffer enormous human rights violations. This short film, based on a UNICEF report is about a mother coping with her young son being taken away. Her helplessness to prevent the cruel and inhumane treatment she knows he is experiencing is more than any mother can bear. The film has screened at a number of top tier film festivals and has been endorsed by notables including Ken Loach, John Pilger and Noam Chomsky.
Team
Pierre Dawalibi, Director, Hind Shoufani & Farah Nabulsi, Writers, Farah Nabulsi, Producer and Executive Producer, Josef Kaluf, Producer, Joe Saade, Director of Photography, Adam Benobaid, Music Composer, Christina Zaccour, Film Editor.
AYNY (2017)
AYNY is a short animated film about two boys who dream to play music in a war zone by Ahmad Saleh.
AWARDS: OSCAR - Student Academy Awards - LA, USA Winner - Next Generation Short Tiger - 2017 Germany
PREMIER STATUS: World Premier: 43rd Student Academy Awards - LA, USA Arabic Premier 13th Dubai International Film Festival German Premier Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film
