New York, November, 30th, 2017 (Larry Rich).The 2017 SIGNIS Plural+ Jury Award went to the video Can You See the Future? by Ismet Kale of Turkey in the 18-25 year-old category during the awards ceremony for the Plural+ Youth Video Festival on Diversity, Migration and Inclusion, held at United Nations Headquarters on November 9.  The SIGNIS jury stated in giving the award that:

The director used editing and sound techniques to get viewers to see the subject of each scene from a fresh perspective, and find in it a message of hope. It is the power to create hope in each person that can move people to a better future.  Even in the midst of the depression caused by war, by looking anew at things with a creative heart, one can find the inspiration to see beyond the desolation to a new day.

In our daily life, true imagination doesn’t always come to us easily. It is not about day-dreaming or wishing for a “pie in the sky” in the future. Can You See the Future? makes us think, and to notice and appreciate the places and people that surround us in a new light. It in fact offers us a kind of vision, a way to see the future in the ordinariness and even brokenness of the present. To be faithful to imagination is to live always with hope, no matter the situation in which we are living.

The video shows us that in the dark corners of our lives, hope can still tell its story and light the flame that illumines our way, ultimately setting us on the path to peace.

Can You See the Future? was recognized as one the more outstanding videos during the Plural+ Awards Ceremony In addition to the SIGNIS Jury Award, it received Plural+ 2017 recognition through the Paley Center for Media Award, the Children’s Film Festival Seattle Award, the Media Education Center Balkans Award, and the COPEAM Award.

Since 2010, SIGNIS has partnered with the festival organizer, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and its cosponsor, the International Organization for Migration.

The members of the SIGNIS 2017 Jury were Alphonse Tri Nguyen (Vietnam). Sanmay Nwe (Myanmar), and Stanley Hector (India), all video producers who have participated in the SIGNIS CommLab program.

To view Can You See the Future? online, go to https://pluralplus.unaoc.org/18-25-age-category/can-you-see-the-future/

Plural+ is much more than a celebration in New York, it is a distribution platform for the award-winning videos. SIGNIS members can support this outreach effort by organizing screenings, including one or two PLURAL+ videos at their events or conferences and in classrooms. Members are urged to encourage young people to enter the annual competition.  Go to https://pluralplus.unaoc.org to explore how.

PLURAL+ videos provide alternative narratives to the points of view encountered in mainstream media and on most social media feeds, empowering youth by providing them with a space in the media landscape. Take a moment to enjoy enjoying these young people's powerful creativity.