Graduate wins prestigious international filmmaking award
Monday 30 April 2018
A RECENT University of Salford graduate has won a prestigious international television award.
Hanan Youssef Abdullah, an Egyptian filmmaker who graduated from the University’s MA Media Production programme last summer, won the award for the best Short Documentary at the prestigious BBC Arabic Awards.
The invited international audience packed the BBC Radio Theatre in central London to applaud Hanan when she accepted the award in front of a television audience of millions as the ceremony was beamed round the world live.
Hanan’s documentary The Town The Men Left beautifully depicts the challenges of three women, Omay, Eyo and Sokar, each from a different Nubian village in Aswan, Egypt.
These women share a similar struggle – abandoned by their husbands, they live the paradox of being neither married nor divorced and are stigmatized by their communities for working to support themselves and their children.
The film, which is being shown on the BBC Arabic network, was made as part of Hanan’s final major project for the Media Production postgraduate course.
I have been transformed from a student to a debut filmmaker whose documentary has been screened on BBC Arabic, debuted at the festival and won this incredible award - It's an incredible personal journey for me and I'm forever grateful
Hanan said: "I'd like to thank the incredibly brave women who agreed to tell their stories in my film. Their stories represent many Nubiyan women and it's important that this is told.
"My time at studying at Salford was on a course where support, guidance and expertise helped us all to excel, not only to succeed. I have been transformed from a student to a debut filmmaker whose documentary has been screened on BBC Arabic, debuted at the festival and won this incredible award - It's an incredible personal journey for me and I'm forever grateful."
Rare talent to tell interesting stories
Dr Lloyd Peters, the University’s Programme Leader of MA Media Production, said: “We on the course were always confident that her talent would be recognised. In fact I reminded Hanan before the ceremony to write a speech ‘just in case’.
“We have all been aware that Hanan has a rare talent to tell interesting stories sympathetically and with courage and this is what the judges have also appreciated.”
