About Notre Dame University, Lebanon
The Radio and Television program at Notre Dame University is as old as the university which was founded 21 years ago. NDU is a Lebanese non-profit catholic institution of higher education which adopts the American system of education. Its main campus is located in Zouk Mosbeh, a coastal town 15km north of Beirut, the capital.
NDU has seven Faculties and the Department of Mass Communications is the largest department within the Faculty of Humanities. The DMC houses the Radio and Television Studio where students majoring in Audio Visual and Film experience first hand the practical side of their concentration area. Currently, the RTVF major at NDU has about 130 students whose education combines a solid mix of theoretical and practical knowledge. Under the supervision of qualified and experienced instructors and staff members, students have ample opportunities to utilize state-of-the-art equipment and new technologies that will give them a clear edge in the Lebanese and Arab markets. Among the instructors who teach those students, NDU has first-rate movie directors, film editors, scriptwriters, Directors of Photography, and other experts in the areas of editing, lighting, directing, and others. Graduates of the R/TV program are scattered throughout the Arab world and inside Lebanon showcasing their skills and talents that were acquired or developed during their college years at NDU. The Studio also houses a solid DVD library, an ample theatre, a radio studio and a gamut of other items. The R/TV facility is responsible for the filming, editing, and documenting of dozens of university-wide events such as Graduation ceremonies, Founders’ Day, Conferences, Guest Speakers, and others. A weekly Cine Club is a fixture of the Studio’s activities whereby students, visitors, and film critics discuss the selected films.
From the academic side, all graduating students must present a “senior” project, a film that is to be written, shot, edited, and directed by the students themselves. A jury of experts and academicians evaluate the students’ work.
Starting this past year, Notre Dame University commenced its annual Film Festival where students from various Lebanese colleges and universities may contribute with their works and the first one proved to be a smashing success. The students and their supervisors and teachers are preparing diligently for the second annual festival scheduled for November of 2008.
Students 2008
For more information on the Radio, Television and Film program at Notre Dame University, those interested may check the official NDU website www.ndu.edu.lb to keep up with the numerous activities and with the latest news and developments.
Films presented on the Monaco Charity Film Festival:
SING ME A DREAM
‘Ghanile Ta Ihlam’ (Sing me a dream) is a musical film which compares Jean Valjean to a boy (Amine) in Lebanon 2006. Only to find that there are thousands of Jean Valjeans in the world today! I wonder if Victor Hugo ever realized that the thoughts he wrote in ‘Les Miserables’ would echo to our day and age! Hugo wrote about Jean Valjean who stole bread to steal his sister’s children. In return Valjean was put in prison for 19 years. This was only the start of his misery because even when he left prison people treated him as a convict; shattering his dreams of a better future. We don’t realize the impact our judgments and words have on people’s dreams and Future.
SHOES TO DIE FOR
A story about a man who craves shoes, because he believes they are windows to the soul. He needs to complete his creation to get better, without knowing he is being manipulated…
