Film Maker Selected For Human Rights Foundation Network Film Jury At Dubai International Festival

Nov. 14, 2011 - PRLog -- Ahmed Abid, a Bangladeshi film maker and human rights activist, has been officially selected by  the prestigious Human Rights Foundation Network Film Jury to be one of the three members of the Human Rights jury at  the upcoming 8th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) which will take place between 7th and 14th of December, 2011.  

Abid has worked in theatre, film and social media to increase awareness on human rights issues. His extensive research on issues relevant to South and South East Asia, combined with his experience in knowledge management, organizational development and capacity building, have been instrumental in his successful work as a mediator, facilitator and trainer.

Abid is the Artistic Director of First Human Rights Film Festival (www.mmrf-asia.org) in Thailand. He worked as a research fellow in the Academy for Educational Development-India, in terrestrial television, press in Bangladesh, and as an International Election Observer in Cambodia. As a film activist, he has been involved with  Film Societies and their activities in Bangladesh since the 1980s. In the year 2000 he narrowly escaped death after being targeted by fundamentalists in Sylhet, Bangladesh while he was covering an event as a journalist.

With respect to human rights, Abid received his second M.A. in the area of Human Rights and Social Development from Mahidol University, Thailand and a diploma from the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratization (EIUC) on ‘Cinema and Human Rights’ in Italy.

His first documentary film ‘The Dreaming Vendors’ (2010) ‘…Ebong Shaupno Jatree, http://thedreamingvendorsfilm.com on cross-coastal trafficking, economic migration and the plight of the Rohingya boat people has already been screened at a variety of film festivals, conferences, academic and cultural institutions in Asia.  It addressed the need for attention to counteract increasingly disturbing issues related to Human Rights academics, researchers activists and civil societies.

He is an active member of Amnesty International Thailand, the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) and is currently a consultant with IBA Development (www.iba-dev.com). Presently he is making a documentary film on freedom fighter film maker Alamgir Kabir of Bangladesh.

The Festival: Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) http://www.dubaifilmfest.com
DIFF builds connections through powerful films from around the globe, selected to reflect Dubai’s multicultural community and serve as an effective platform for intercultural dialogue and international understanding. The theme of DIFF 2011 will be ‘Bridging Cultures, Meeting Minds’. In addition to DIFF film programme, the Dubai Film Market - the Arab world’s first and only comprehensive film market – has become a gateway between  film centres in Europe, Africa and Asia.