Fortify Rights and Doha Debates on Saturday won an inaugural Anthem Award for training and supporting Rohingya refugee photographers in Bangladesh, said Fortify Rights. The project will receive the Silver Award in “Best Local Community Engagement” at an award show that will air live on Monday, hosted by TV and film actor Jay Ellis. Read: 30 shacks, 15 shops gutted in Rohingya camp fire A panel of judges, including actors Daniel Dae Kim and Ashley Judd as well as prominent business and organization leaders, selected the winners from nearly 2,500 submissions from 36 countries, according to a media release. “The Rohingya and all people of Myanmar are in their darkest hour, under attack by a brutal military junta, making it even more important to shine a light on the positive forces for change among the community,” said Matthew Smith, CEO of Fortify Rights. “There has never been a more important time to fortify support for refugees, and we’re hopeful this award can help us do more of that.” Fortify Rights Senior Multimedia Specialist Taimoor Sobhan will accept the award on behalf of Fortify Rights and Doha Debates at the virtual awards show that will air live on February 28 at 1 p.m. PT at anthemawards.com. The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences established the Anthem Awards as a new initiative of the Webby Awards to celebrate “the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies, and organizations worldwide.” Since 2018, in partnership with Doha Debates, Fortify Rights has provided on-the-ground photography and media skills training for three young Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh who are survivors of genocide in Myanmar. The organization equipped the three “media fellows” – Dil Kayas, Omal Khair, and Azimul Hasson – with mobile phones, which Myanmar authorities forbade them from possessing in their native Rakhine State. They have since documented their lives in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps on Instagram, amassing thousands of followers. The project won a Shorty Award in 2020 and was a finalist for a 2019 Shorty Award. Read: UN court to open hearings in Rohingya genocide case The 23-minute documentary film, EXODUS, produced by Fortify Rights and Doha Debates and directed by Fortify Rights Senior Multimedia Specialist Taimoor Sobhan, delves into the lives of the media fellows as they survive the Rohingya genocide. Other Anthem Award winners this year include Dr. Jane Goodall “for her lifetime of passionate advocacy for the conservation of the natural world”; American film director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian Adam McKay “for holding up a mirror to society through his work”; and Japanese professional tennis star Naomi Osaka “for claiming her third grand slam title while igniting a conversation about mental health, racial injustice, and police brutality.”

Fortify Rights and Doha Debates have released “EXODUS,” a 23-minute documentary film that delves into the lives of three young Rohingya refugee photographers from Myanmar living in one of the world’s largest refugee camps. The film follows the stories of Omal Khair, Dil Kayas, and Azimul Hasson, three Rohingya survivors of genocide forced out from their homes in Rakhine State during Myanmar-military-led clearance operations of 2017.  Read: US welcomes NUG's inclusive path forward for Rohingyas The film is set to be released on August 25, the anniversary of the onset of genocidal attacks in Myanmar that forced more than 700,000 Rohingyas to take shelter in Bangladesh. “The Myanmar military weaponized social media, using Facebook to spread calls for violence against Rohingya,” said Taimoor Sobhan, Senior Multimedia Specialist at Fortify Rights, a human rights body.  “This film project is about Rohingya refugees reclaiming their narrative on social media. The film serves as a reminder that social media can also be a powerful tool for collective good.” “EXODUS,” directed by Taimoor Sobhan, features the three refugees as they visually document life inside refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.  Read: Myanmar’s NUG in Exile: Safe, dignified Rohingya repatriation “utmost priority” The film explores how Omal Khair, Dil Kayas, and Azimul Hasson use photography and social media, providing a unique window into the everyday life of Rohingya refugees. Since 2018, Fortify Rights, in partnership with Doha Debates, which unites, empowers and inspires young people to become impassioned, informed leaders, provided on-the-ground photography and media-skills training for the three young Rohingya refugees featured in the documentary film.  The organizations equipped the three “media fellows” with mobile phones, and the fellows have since documented their lives and the lives of others in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps on Instagram, amassing thousands of followers. Read:4th anniversary of Rohingya exodus arrives with repatriation a far cry In 2021, the trio, along with Fortify Rights and Doha Debates, won a Shorty Award in recognition of the work that became the subject of EXODUS. Amjad Atallah, Doha Debates’ managing director, said, “Omal, Dil and Azimul’s extraordinarily compelling photography is all the more remarkable given the challenges they face in the world’s largest refugee camp. This film documents their story in touching, inspiring ways. Doha Debates is proud to have teamed up with Fortify Rights to help and support Omal, Dil and Azimul and to provide an outlet for their work.”