Young Filmmakers Inspire with Their Astonishing Resilience and Youthful Creativity

It was an honor and pleasure to offer Special Recognition to two of the 15 outstanding nominees for the 2018 One Minutes Jr. Awards Festival that took place in Amsterdam on Saturday.

The films we selected are Smile by Mohammed and My Wish by Reza.

Both young filmmakers – one from Syria, the other from Iran, now living in the Netherlands – are among the world’s 12 million children who have fled their home countries due to conflict and violence. Despite their worlds being turned upside down, their spirit remains strong.

Mohammed calls on us to connect through the simple act of smiling, revealing a precocious understanding of the brain and empathy’s role in making us fully human.  Watch Smile now.

Reza picks up the brain surgeon’s scalpel to imagine a future career as a researcher and healer… what he calls the sweetest experience in life, helping other people. Watch My Wish now.

What could be more inspiring – teenagers who lost everything, giving us so much in 60 seconds of quality video!

Their creations are examples of astonishing resilience and youthful creativity. Congratulations to 15 winners and to the excellence of the One Minute Foundation’s ongoing work.