Who we are
Quien somos
The award-winning filmmakers Carolina Rivas and Daoud Sarhandi are the creative team members behind Videovalores
Los cineastas ganadores Carolina Rivas y Daoud Sarhandi son los miembros del equipo creativo detrás de Videovalores
Carolina Rivas (centre) during the Videovalores workshop in Berlin, 2017
CAROLINA RIVAS
Director of Videovalores and Course Tutor (Script and Direction)
An internationally recognised filmmaker and writer. In 2003 her short film Zona cero (Mexico, 2003) was selected at the Cannes Film Festival. Subsequently, she has won a large number of international awards for her films. Her work is characterised by a critical vision and a humanistic spirit.
In México in 2008, together with the British filmmaker Daoud Sarhandi, she founded the production company Creadores Contemporáneos. Their objective was to combine cinema with social intervention. Her full-length films are: The Colour of Olives (Mexico, 2006), a portrait of a Palestinian family living in resistance; Lessons for Zafirah (Mexico, 2011), which deals with the phenomenon of migration, across Mexico, towards the USA; 1 for 1 (Mexico/Spain, 2013), a portrait of one central American migrant and her struggle to find somewhere to give birth. The Colour of Olives has won seven prizes, including: Best Direction Documentary, Golden Minbar 2007, Russia; Artistic Vision, Big Sky Documentary Festival 2007, USA; Courage in Filmmaking, Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2006, USA. Lessons for Zafirah has won eight prizes, including: Best Documentary, Latin American Film Festival van Vlaanderen 2013, Belgium; Human Rights Prize, Latin American Film Festival van Vlaanderen 2013, Belgium; Best Film, Mexico Today, FICUNAM 2011, Mexico; Best International Documentary, Cine Pobre Festival 2012, Cuba; Best Film, Young Jury Award, Anûû-rû âboro 2012, New Caledonia. 1 for 1 has been selected at a number of leading film festivals and had its premier at the Portobello Film Festival 2013, London. Carolina has been on the jury of several international films festivals, including Documenta Madrid 2012.
In 2010 in Mexico she received a grant from Fonca, Mexico, for the publication of her book Film Step by Step: A Methodology of Self-awareness. In 2014 she received a grant in Spain from Obra Social “la Caixa” for VIDEOVALORES. In 2015 in Spain, Rivas founded Contemporary Actors Company, with the objective of providing training and employment to people of different nationalities wishing to work in theatre and film; a second objective of the company was to create artistic works with a socially critical and humanistic character. In 2015 Carolina founded Open Art Association - of which she is president - and subsequently received a grant from Obra Social “la Caixa” for an on-going project called Fusión Gramenet: Forum Social for the Integration of Citizens.
Daoud Sarhandi presenting Videovalores at the Filmoteca of Madrid, 2015
DAOUD SARHANDI
Director of Videovalores and Course Tutor (Photography and Edition)
An internationally recognised filmmaker and writer. Sarhandi studied film and photography in London between 1982-85, and subsequently worked as an editor of documentary films for Channel 4 Television productions and the BBC.
Sarhandi is a multidisciplinary filmmaker: producer, director, writer, editor, director of photography and sound designer. He is also a teacher of film editing. His films, made in collaboration with Carolina Rivas since 2004, have won a total of 15 prizes at festivals around the world: The Colour of Olives (Mexico, 2006), is a portrait of a Palestinian family living in resistance; Lessons for Zafirah (Mexico, 2011), deals with the phenomenon of migration across Mexico towards the USA; 1 for 1 (Mexico, 2013), is a portrait of one Central American migrant and her struggle to find somewhere to give birth. (See Carolina's filmography above for festival and award details.)
In defence of human rights, in the 1990s during the Balkan conflicts Daoud worked with a series of NGOs, principally in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia. From his experience in the Bosnian war, and during the first years of reconstruction, Sarhandi researched and wrote the book Evil Doesn’t Live Here: Posters from the Bosnian War, published in New York and London in 2001.
In Mexico, his political articles were published in Proceso and La Jornada. Between 2002-12 he contributed to Eye Magazine, London, a series of in-depth texts dealing with social aspects of art and design in Mexico; the first of these dealt with the issue of racism and cultural stereotyping in Mexican advertising.
Sarhandi is a founding member and general director of the production company Creadores Contemporáneos, established in Mexico in 2008 in collaboration with Carolina Rivas.
Carolina Rivas (right) during the Videovalores workshop in Barcelona, 2015
CAROLINA RIVAS
Directora de Videovalores y Tutora del Curso (Guión y Dirección)
Cineasta y escritora reconocida en la escena internacional. Tras su cortometraje Zona cero (México, 2003), seleccionado en el Festival de Cannes, ha obtenido una cosecha de premios a lo largo de su trayectoria. Su obra se caracteriza por su agudeza crítica y su espíritu humanista.
En 2008 funda la productora de cine Creadores Contemporáneos en México, en colaboración con el cineasta británico Daoud Sarhandi, con objeto de combinar el cine con la intervención social. Entre su filmografía destacan El color de los olivos (México, 2006), retrato de una familia Palestina en resistencia. Ganadora Mejor Película, Golden Minbar Film Festival 2007, Rusia; Ganadora Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2006, EUA; Ganadora, Big Sky Documentary 2007, EUA; Mención Honorífica Sound Design, Docúpolis Film Festival 2006, España. Lecciones para Zafirah (México, 2011), filme sobre el fenómeno migratorio hacia EUA. Ganadora Mejor Documental, Film Festival Van Vlaanderen 2013, Bélgica; Ganadora Mejor Película Anûû-rû âboro Film Festival 2012, Nueva Caledonia; Ganadora Mejor Película Mexico Today, FICUNAM 2011, México. 1 para 1 (México/España, 2013), una cinta que retrata el desalojo de una migrante embarazada. Selección Oficial, Portobello Film Festival 2013, Reino Unido; Selección Oficial, Full Length Film Festival 2013, Polonia. Rivas ha sido jurado de festivales internacionales, como Documenta Madrid 2012.
Rivas ha sido becaria en España por Obra Social “la Caixa” para la realización del proyecto social y cinematográfico VIDEOVALORES (2014-15); becaria en México por Fonca (2009-10) para la publicación del libro Cine paso a paso: metodolgía del autoconocimiento (2010). En 2015 fundó la compañía Contemporary Actors Company con objeto de dar oportunidad a talentos emergentes de diferentes nacionalidades para su inserción laboral en teatro y cine, así como realizar obras de carácter crítico y humanista sobre temas de actualidad social y política. En 2015, Carolina fundó Open Art Association, de la que es presidenta, y posteriormente recibió una beca de Obra Social "la Caixa" para el proyecto Fusión Gramenet: Foro social para la integración ciudadana en Santa Coloma de Gramenet.
Daoud Sarhandi presenting a Videovalores masterclass at KU Leuven, Antwerp, 2018
DAOUD SARHANDI
Director del Videovalores y Tutor del Curso (Fotografía y Montaje)
Cineasta y escritor reconocido en la escena internacional. Estudio cine en Londres (1982-1985). Posteriormente trabajó como editor de documentales para Channel Four Television y la BBC.
Director General y miembro fundador de la productora Creadores Contemporáneos, fundada en México en 2008 en colaboración con Carolina Rivas.
Sarhandi es un cineasta multidisciplinario (productor, realizador, guionista, montador, fotógrafo, diseñador sonoro) cuyas películas han sido objeto de premios internacionales. El color de los olivos (México, 2006), retrato de una familia Palestina en resistencia. Lecciones para Zafirah (México, 2011), filme sobre el fenómeno migratorio hacia EUA. 1 para 1 (México/España, 2013), una cinta que retrata el desalojo de una migrante embarazada. (Ver la filmografía de Carolina arriba para detalles de los festivals y premios.)
Defensor de los derechos humanos, trabajó en varias organizaciones humanitarias durante las guerras de los Balcanes, donde coordinó proyectos internacionales y artísticos. Producto de su experiencia en Bosnia-Herzegovina entre 1995-1998, escribió el libro Evil Doesn’t Live Here: Posters from the Bosnian War (2001), publicado en Nueva York y Londres.
En México publicó artículos políticos en la revista Proceso y el periódico La Jornada. En México, sus artículos políticos fueron publicados en Proceso y La Jornada. Entre 2002 y 2012, contribuyó a Eye Magazine, Londres, una serie de textos detallados sobre aspectos sociales del arte y el diseño en México; El primero de ellos trató el tema del racismo y los estereotipos culturales en la publicidad mexicana. Es editor del libro Cine paso a paso: metodología del autoconocimiento (2010), por Carolina Rivas.