IIE-Artist Protection Fund Fellow Ammar Basha in residence at WFU

Ammar Basha, a Yemeni documentary filmmaker, has been awarded a prestigious IIE-Artist Protection Fund Fellowship and will be in residence at Wake Forest University for one year.

An initiative of the Institute of International Education, the Artist Protection Fund (IIE-APF) fills a critical unmet need by protecting threatened artists and placing them at welcoming host institutions in safe countries where they can continue their work and plan for their futures. IIE-APF places these artists in safe havens for a full year and provides fellowship funding, mentoring, and inclusion in a comprehensive network of artistic and social support. 

Basha will be working with the Wake Forest’s Documentary Film Program, the University’s Interdisciplinary Arts Center and other members of the Wake Forest community to expand his practice into short and feature filmmaking. He is currently working on a screenplay and recently received rights from the author of the book on which it is based.

Upon receiving his film education at the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Jordan and the International College of Animation Arts & Technology in India, he began creating documentaries to advocate for the human rights of Yemeni citizens and to document the Arab Spring – a series of protests responding to oppressive government regimes.

“We are excited to welcome Ammar to our Wake Forest community where he will be able to pursue his work with help and support from our faculty, staff and students and Wake Forest Every Campus a Refuge,” said Christina Soriano, vice provost for the arts and interdisciplinary initiatives at Wake Forest and an associate professor of dance. “Providing a safe environment for Ammar to create is an opportunity for us to exercise our Pro Humanitate motto in a new way.” 

Ammar is the first IIE-APF fellow to be placed in residence at Wake Forest.