MANILA, Philippines – Davaoeño advocacy filmmaker Breech Asher Harani was recognized at the 2019 International Emmy Awards for his short film Next to Me.
Harani was presented with the JCS International Young Creatives Award by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at a gala on Monday, November 25, in New York City.
The award, named after media company JCS International, recognizes minute-long films focused on starting a global conversation about peace.
Harani's film tells the story of a Muslim girl who starts attending a new non-Muslim school after being evacuated from war-torn Marawi City.
In an interview with SunStar Davao, Harani said the film was inspired by a conversation he had with a young survivor of the 2017 Marawi siege.
Posting on Instagram, he said, "Still can't get over how amazing this experience is."
Along with Harani, two other filmmakers were recognized, including Albania's Artes Ferruni for the film It Starts Within and the United Kingdom's Funke Alafiatayo for the film P.E.A.C.E. - A Spoken Word. Their films can be viewed on the International Emmys website. – Rappler.com