Name: Ali Kareem

Recipient Type: Film Grant Recipient|Scholarship Recipient

Recipient Year: 2015|2013

School Name: University of Southern California

Major: Film and Television Production

Description: Ali Kareem, born in Al Hilla, Babil, left Iraq at age 6 with his family to escape the Saddam Hussein regime. Eventually, Ali immigrated to the United Sates as a refugee when he was 10 years old, landing in Dallas, Texas. After graduating high school, he began making short films. At age 19 he directed a  project titled, “The Time of Ramadan”, featuring Muslim artist Fez Meghani. Ali was featured on CNN International, where he was interviewed by CNN’s Errol Barnett. Ali went on to study Film & Television Production at the University of Southern California. In Spring 2012, Ali wrote, directed, and produced a short film titled “Mehdi”, about a young Iraqi boy whose innocence is lost due to violence. In 2015, he won the ISF National Film Grant for $20,000. Ali hopes to continue making films that highlight the shared humanity between different people, whether they are Iraqi children caught in war, Muslims in America, or two strangers in a barn in the Midwest.

Sponsor: UC Irvine Muslim Alumni Association