Northwestern University in Qatar students are well positioned to succeed in the film industry, Northwestern alum and filmmaker William Bindley told students at Northwestern University in Qatar on Monday.
The rich cultural experience in Qatar and the opportunity to study at top-rate universities give students a perspective available to few others, Bindley said.
“Movies are about life. They’re about life lessons, ” Bindley a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Communication, said. “Which is why this campus is so great, the life lessons and education you get here are incredible.”
Bindley is a Film Writer, Producer, and Director, who has written for most of the major studios, including Sony, Columbia, MGM, Warner Bros., HBO, and Nickelodeon. He has spent the last 15 years working in the heart of the Hollywood film industry, where he has written, produced and directed numerous films, including Madison, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001. Bindley is currently writing and producing a number of comedies – two at Warner Bros and one at Sony — for Will Smith, Russell Brand and Zach Galifianakis.
Mimi White, senior associate dean of Communication at NU-Q, said, “The value of these alumni visits is that students are exposed to real-life examples of where they can end up. These people were educated at Northwestern University in the very programs we are doing here, and for our students to see the variety and kinds of success that people can go on to have, is very important”.
On Monday, the students also heard from visiting faculty member Professor David Abrahamson. A former magazine editor, Abrahamson delivered a lecture on Literary Journalism in the Middle East and the West. A second lecture, on Magazine Writing, will take place a week later on Monday March 29.
Bindley is in Doha to attend the Financial Times Business of Film Summit, which will be held on March 22 and 23 at the Four Seasons Hotel. The Summit gathers top filmmakers, financiers and investors to tackle issues on film financing, the growing film industry in the Middle East, and investment in local language films.
Read about Bindley’s visit at:
The Peninsula
Gulf Times
Zawya
http://www.zawya.com/printstory.cfm?storyid=ZAWYA20100323124718&l=124700100323
