Online event, April 3 at 7:00pm EDT
Join Award-winning film makers and returned Peace Corps volunteers Baktash Ahadi and Alana DeJoseph along with hosts Zack Klim, MPCE Director and Nicole Banister, MPCE Board Member to delve into the art of storytelling.
Dynamic storytelling is at the heart of transformative film and museum experiences. This panel discussion will demystify the narrative arc in film and reimagine the use of stories to promote peace education and cross-cultural learning at the Museum. Come meet the film makers and join the Museum in this exploration of the essential role storytelling plays in sharing the human experience.
Panelists
Baktash Ahadi, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, TEDx Speaker, and human rights activist, delves into the complexities of the human experience. With a keen focus on forced migration, conflict, and underrepresented communities, he crafts compelling narratives that resonate deeply. His latest documentary film, “Retrograde,” a poignant exploration of the Afghanistan war’s aftermath, earned critical acclaim, including multiple Emmy Awards and was short-listed for an Oscar. From his Peace Corps service in Mozambique to combat interpreter roles in Afghanistan, Baktash’s journey embodies resilience and cultural insight. Currently directing a film on combat veterans, mental health and equine therapy, he continues to champion impactful storytelling and cross-cultural dialogue, bridging divides with empathy and creativity.
Alana DeJoseph has worked in video and film production for more than 40 years and directed the first feature documentary about the history of the Peace Corps: A Towering Task. In December 2020 she won the Best Director award in the feature documentary category at the Indo Global International FilmFestival in Mumbai. A Towering Task began airing on PBS stations across the country in September of 2023. She was also the associate producer of the PBS documentaries The Greatest Good (about the U.S. Forest Service) and Green Fire (about conservationist Aldo Leopold). Alana was an enterprise development advisor in a small town in Mali, West Africa in the Peace Corps from 1992-1994.
Hosts
Zack Klim joined MPCE as Director in January of 2023. He is a Sociologist by training and a scholar-practitioner in international education with over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership. Prior to the Museum, Zack served as Executive Director of Global Affairs at New York University’s school of education. There he collaborated with faculty to launch dozens of academic programs worldwide, and forged hundreds of partnerships with schools, healthcare providers, INGOs and other organizations to deliver internships and service learning. Zack was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Bangladesh, public school teacher in New York City, human rights educator in Burma/Myanmar, and a teacher trainer in Costa Rica and Honduras.
Nicole Banister is an award-winning TV show host, presenter, and international changemaker. She is the host of the celebrity interview series NIKKI BANZ LIVE and Start It Up–the Waterbear series showcasing one of the world’s most prestigious social entrepreneurship competitions. Nicole has traveled to 50+ countries and is a United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Fellow, a Georgetown University Hoya, and winner of Peace Corps’ 2023 Franklin H. Williams Emerging Leader Award. With expertise in strategic global partnerships, social media, and mass communication, Nicole is on the leadership committee of the Friends of South Africa RPCV Association and joined MPCE the Board of Directors in 2023.
Event Registration
Date: Wednesday, April 3
Time: 7pm EST
Location: online – Register here
Related content: Registrants will receive a complimentary link to view Baktash’s film Retrograde, also available on Hulu. Alana’s film A Towering Task is currently available on PBS.
