United States - Filmmakers from Belgium, Canada and the Philippines are winners of the 2015 PLURAL+ Youth Film Festival. Selected from more than 240 video submissions from 59 countries, the three International Jury Winners are:

Un drole de coco from Belgium, by 22 children with Camera-etc. (Category up to 12 years old)
Airstrip from Canada, by Haylee Nottaway with Wapikoni Mobile (Category 13-17 years old)
Blue from the Philippines, by Breech Harani (Category 18-25 years old)

Un drole de coco is a collaborative, animated creation by 22 primary school aged children from Belgium. As the protagonist - a young chick raised by a family of penguins - grapples with identity and definitions of family, the animated short discusses diversity and inclusion, in a nod to the broader issues of migration and combating stereotypes.

Airstrip, created by a young Canadian filmmaker, Haylee Nottaway, and the support of Wapikoni Mobile, delves into the realities facing the Anishnabe tribe in Quebec, Canada as it grapples with the effects of territorial disputes, preservation of tradition and respect for aboriginal culture. In her film, Nottaway addresses the challenges faced by her own community and territory, raising attention to ongoing debates on aboriginal rights, land ownership and inclusive societies globally.

Blue, an animated short, was written, designed and produced by Breech Asher Harani. In its crisp, succinct portrayal of challenges youth face upon arrival to new countries and communities, Blue opens a discussion on positive migration, mental health, youth opportunity and embracing new-found diversity. Harani is an independent filmmaker and photographer, born and raised in a small municipality of Compostela, Philippines. His award-winning documentaries have focused on issues of social acceptance, climate change, LGBT rights and community cohesion.

The three winners will attend the PLURAL+ 2015 Festival and Awards Ceremony at the Paley Center for Media in New York on December 3. They will be joined by a number of youth filmmakers who have won awards from PLURAL+ partner organizations, with some traveling from as near as New York and from as far away as Pakistan, Germany, the UK, Afghanistan and Mexico. Collectively, 25 videos were chosen from the 2015 entries to receive awards from PLURAL+ and its partner organizations.

This year’s festival will also feature a series of media and social justice workshops hosted by partners including UNICEF and hitRECord TV series. In partnership with Show of Force and the Tribeca Film Institute, two panels – open to the public – will discuss youth-produced media in refugee settings and in incarceration. A virtual reality video shot in Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp, produced by the UN Millennium Campaign, will also be featured during the festival.

The PLURAL+ 2015 full schedule of afternoon panels and screenings, as well as of the evening awards ceremony and following reception, will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information on PLURAL+, please visit pluralplus.unaoc.org.

PLURAL+, a joint initiative between the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), is an international youth video festival focusing on migration, diversity and social inclusion.

The festival, which aims to foster dialogue, partnership and action on critical issues and opportunities faced by youth worldwide, recognizes youth as powerful agents of social change. PLURAL+ supports cooperative efforts to reduce tension in a world too often characterized by conflict and division. Since its launch in 2009, PLURAL+ has received nearly 1,200 video submissions from around the world.

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To RSVP to PLURAL+ Festival and Awards Ceremony on December 3rd, please do so here.
Please direct further media requests and questions to the PLURAL+ team at plural@unaoc.org or by phone at +1-212-681-7000