•NU-Q professor broadens MUN focus with lecture on media

•Students benefit from interaction with award-winning filmmaker

•Education City universities welcome high school delegates from around the world

Doha, Qatar 31 January: High school students from 50 countries around the world learned about the relationship between media and politics during a lecture by award-winning filmmaker and Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) professor Tim Wilkerson yesterday in Education City.

The 350 student delegates were in Doha for the 2010 Georgetown University's SFS-Qatar Model United Nations (MUN) held from January 28 to 31 at the Marriot Hotel, Doha.

As a forum for high school students to debate current global issues and gain insight into the world of international politics and policy-making, Assistant Professor Tim Wilkerson's lecture on the role of media and communication was designed to add value to the conference.

Dr. Wilkerson was invited to discuss documentary filmmaking as a tool for civic and political activism.  His own documentary about a 25-year-long anti-nuclear peace vigil in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. served as a case study for the MUN participants.

The documentary draws attention to the lives and experiences of the people leading the protests, and explores the cultural and political resonance of their actions, both in Washington, D.C. and around the world. Currently in post-production, it has been purchased by Al Jazeera Documentary Channel and the International Channel. It will be screened later this year. 

Emily Wilson, Outreach Coordinator, who coordinated Dr. Wilkerson giving NU-Q's sample lecture, said: "Wilkerson's documentary is an example of how you can influence politics through communication, through the media. We thought he would be an outstanding person to speak to students interested in politics."

At NU-Q, Dr. Wilkerson is part of a faculty that plays an important role in bringing filmmakers, scholars and media professionals to Doha to complement classroom learning and broaden students' exposure to the field of media production.

"The students who enroll at NU-Q are very sophisticated viewers and very aware of the techniques used in film, even before they come to study here. I am constantly amazed at the products they're coming out with even as first time filmmakers," he said. 

As a professional cinematographer, Wilkerson's experience as a filmmaker, both nationally in the U.S. and internationally, includes screenings of his work in over thirty international film festivals.  This experience and industry insight enables him to identify opportunities to support the development of Qatar's nascent film industry and educate students and the wider public on all aspects of video production and digital cinema.

For next year's Doha Tribeca Film Festival, Dr. Wilkerson will be working to ensure an educational sidebar to the festival, and will feed through information on talented regional filmmakers, including what will be the first Qatari feature film, 'Clockwise'.

Commenting on the film industry in the Middle East region, Dr. Wilkerson said, "One of the greatest challenges for media in Qatar and the region is exhibition and distribution. The same cultural hegemony that we see in the West really affects Arab filmmakers.  And in the Gulf region, in particular, there is a huge lag in the distribution of films.

"At the same time, Doha has this wonderful confluence of Hindi, Arab, and American films. That is one great thing about being here", he added.

Following the sample lectures, which were delivered by each of the Education City universities, NU-Q held a 'Be a Reporter' activity for the students. The session was run by Emily Wilson and Brian Paris of NU-Q, and gave the students a chance to write and present their own scripts to camera.

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About Northwestern University in Qatar
Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) is an international offspring of one of America's top-ranked educational institutions.  NU-Q offers curricula modeled on the innovative undergraduate programs of Northwestern University's School of Communication and Medill School of Journalism in the U.S.  The communication program offers courses of study in the areas of communication theory, history and media technologies; the fully accredited journalism program offerings include concentrations in print, broadcast and multimedia. Courses in Qatar are taught by scholars and practitioners who hold faculty appointments in and have had first-hand experience on the home campus in Evanston, Ill., a north-shore suburb of Chicago.

For further information,please contact:
Robert W. Ferrin
Director of Marketing
Northwestern University in Qatar
Tel: +974 454 5141
Mobile: +974 670 8991
Email: r-ferrin@northwestern.edu

© Press Release 2010