在视觉叙事领域，纪录片 费尔南多·拉米雷斯，1982年 和 Baktash Ahadi, 05 收敛, painting a vivid picture of the human experience in times of war 和 highlighting the transformative power of people 和 their stories. 个人, 来自移民背景，有着深刻的使命感, are driven by a common goal: to effect positive change in the world by amplifying the voices of marginalized communities.
Ramirez created Beyond the Statistics about displaced Ukrainian refugees to focus the narrative on their courage 和 resilience rather than the statistics about the horrors of the war. 对阿哈迪, the focus of Retrograde was personal: to document the aftermath of our nation’s withdrawal from the war in Afghanistan, 他的祖国. 尽管乌克兰和阿富汗战争的背景可能有所不同, both documentaries shed light on the profound impact of conflict on individuals 和 communities. In Afghanistan, decades of war have left lasting trauma 和 displacement among its people. 类似的, 入侵乌克兰让数百万人陷入了不确定之中, 迫使家庭逃离家园，应对随之而来的复杂局面. 通过亲密的故事讲述和第一手资料, both documentaries aim to humanize the experiences of those affected by war — highlighting the universal themes of courage, 在逆境中同情和坚定的决心——并激发社会变革.
追求社会影响
费尔南多·拉米雷斯，1982年 在环境领域工作了30多年，特别是在能源效率方面. 他利用自己的商业学位创建了具有社会影响力的公司, 包括在可持续能源和水获取方面的众多创业企业. In 2021, 他创立了桥梁2030, a nonprofit nongovernmental organization dedicated to supporting two groups in particular: forcibly displaced communities 和 the next generation of changemakers.
“我相信我们的激情是由个人经历塑造的. My own family has an immigrant journey; we arrived in the U.S. in 1970 from Colombia, so I can relate to the struggles of moving to a foreign 土地,他说. “最大的不同是，我的家人可以选择, 但全世界超过1.1亿被迫流离失所的人却没有. Bridges 2030 is my way to support 和 amplify the voices of people who have been forced to flee.”
该组织的努力包括在太阳能行业创造就业机会, 弥合数字鸿沟, 和 providing direct aid to Ukrainian refugees in Philadelphia; each of these aligns with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 另外, the documentary Beyond the Statistics is Bridge 2030’s first foray into film development — but likely not its last.
弥合分歧，建立同理心
拉米雷斯一生都是纪录片迷, 和 points to Anthony Bourdain as an inspiration behind his ability to weave together artistic storytelling 和 cultural engagement. Beyond the Statistics focuses on the human impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine beginning in February 2022, 和 aims to amplify the voices of Ukrainian families forcibly displaced from their home.
“主流媒体专注于提供每一次全球危机的统计数据, 因此，这次入侵的暴行有很好的记录. 我们觉得还有另一个故事需要讲述:勇气, 的决心, 以及乌克兰人民的韧性, 以及波兰人民的支持.700万乌克兰公民抵达波兰，”他说. “我们分享了人类精神的观点, 生存和自由的决心, 以及支持和保护人类尊严的人们.”
拉米雷斯认为年轻一代是这项使命的合作伙伴, which plays a part in his work to empower young people to build lives 和 careers on a foundation of purpose 和 compassion.
“确保我们的使命比我们更长久，我们的影响力倍增, 我们必须赋予下一代权力并动员他们. I know that many young people suffer from compassion fatigue; we’re carrying phones around with us that are constantly updating us with news around the world 和 there’s always another crisis,他说. “但我确实相信，我们在这个国家有一种责任感. Let’s be clear: we live a privileged life compared to many people in developing countries that struggle every day to meet their basic needs.”
富有同情心的参与，文化理解
不管一个人追求什么目的, Ramirez is emphatic that everyone should develop the skills to sort out inaccurate information online, 研究危机背后的历史, 以及跨文化的有效沟通. He’s hopeful that Susquehanna’s Global Opportunities program can contribute to each of these — especially if students are willing to be a little uncomfortable.
“I encourage students to broaden their cultural horizons by making a point to be a traveler 和 not a tourist. 旅行前做一些调查, 参观具有重要文化价值的地方, 与来自其他国家的学生见面，而不是呆在美国.S.他说. “不熟悉自己的环境能让你学到很多东西. It can be easy to shy away from being uncomfortable, but I encourage people to embrace it.”
当拉米雷斯回顾自己走过的路, 他对每一次经历都怀有深深的感激之情.
他说:“我的人生就是一段实习经历，让我走到了今天的位置。. “我学到的所有教训, 我遇到的所有人, 我所有的旅行经历, 还有我家人无条件的支持. 这就是为什么我今天会在这里.”
讲故事的遗产
在与他交谈的瞬间 Baktash Ahadi, 05很明显，他是一个讲故事的人. 他说话是故意的, 明显地意识到每个词的分量, 并在分享时自我纠正, highlighting both his own lived experiences 和 those he’s been privileged to hear as a part of his intercultural work. 这种非凡的存在是来之不易的，也是30多年来的成就.
“当我还是个孩子的时候，我非常害羞. 我直到10岁才会说话，”阿哈迪说. “我不知道我有声音, 我必须先相信自己, 才能让世人相信我.”
考虑到他的职业生涯，这段历史可能很难让人相信. 从在萨斯奎哈纳学习社会学开始, 阿哈迪在莫桑比克的和平队工作了两年, 非洲, 和 returned to his home country of Afghanistan to dedicate three years to combat interpretation 和 cultural advising. He created 和 hosted the Stories of Transformation podcast 和 founded the Taleem Project, 随后制作并翻译了多部著名纪录片, 包括逆行, which captured the last nine months of America’s war in Afghanistan — 和 earned Ahadi three 2023 Emmy Awards.
害羞的开端对全球的影响
This dedication to filmmaking can be traced back to Ahadi’s arrival in the United States in 1986. 他在喀布尔出生后不久, his family f led Afghanistan 和 spent years in Pakistani refugee camps before being granted asylum 和 moving to Carlisle, 宾西法尼亚. Community members who supported his family’s arrival introduced a young Ahadi to many films.
“我们的赞助商会打开电视，为我们播放电影:《星球大战》、《E.T.印第安纳·琼斯. 我不懂英语, but you don’t have to know English to underst和 that you are on a safari in a different world,阿哈迪说。. “这就是我从事这项工作的原因. 电影是通往另一个世界的身体和情感之旅. 当电影感动我们的时候，它会永远和我们在一起.”
While visual storytelling is his primary vehicle of choice to tell the human stories of vulnerable populations, Ahadi认为所有形式的讲故事都是与他人深入接触的机会, 结果是, 扩大文化素养.
“故事触及了做人的关键所在. It does require a radical sense of curiosity about the person in front of you to take off your mask 和 show who you actually are,他说. “But I don’t think there’s a better education for a person than going to a far-off 土地, 坐在和你有着完全不同生活经历的人中间, 听听他们对家庭的看法, 暴力, 民族国家, 环境, 运动和它们之间的关系.”
通过目标实现
今天, 阿哈迪正忙于执导两部电影, 其中一个关注的是退伍军人, 心理健康和马的治疗. 在他所有的项目中, 他继续依靠同样的自我意识, communication skills 和 intense sense of gratitude that have contributed to his fulfillment thus far.
“成功通常是由社会告诉你的价值来定义的. But fulfillment, on the other h和, is actually living the life that you were meant for,他说. “我们中的许多人从外部寻找答案，我们被告知成功是一种地位, 工资, 房子, 土地, 无论. But I’ve realized that so many of the answers I’ve looked for have actually been inside of me, 在我的灵感中, 缺陷, 动机和羞耻.”
和很多萨斯奎哈纳校友一样, Ahadi continues to support others — especially those who are interested in elevating their stories, 是否在电影中, 领导或商业. He’s hopeful that his work helps others feel more courageous in pursuing their own fulfillment.
“When I’m speaking with people who have lost so much, they’re not asking for a passport to America. 他们不是要一百万美元. 他们主要是要求被倾听，”他说.
与......联系 Baktash Ahadi ' 05通过LinkedIn.
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