Iraqi Director Mokhallad Rasem has become the first winner from the Middle East to win the prestigious Young Directors Project, an annual competition that has been supported by Montblanc since it began 12 years ago, as part of the Salzburg Festival in Austria. The competition, created in 2002 by Montblanc together with Jürgen Flimm, a […]
Iraqi Director Mokhallad Rasem has become the first winner from the Middle East to win the prestigious Young Directors Project, an annual competition that has been supported by Montblanc since it began 12 years ago, as part of the Salzburg Festival in Austria.
The competition, created in 2002 by Montblanc together with Jürgen Flimm, a former Director of Drama of the Salzburg Festival, aims to promote and celebrate young, emerging theatre directors from around the world. Each year, four young directors are shortlisted to participate at the summer festival with an expert jury honouring the most convincing performance, innovative idea or unconventional approach to the questions of modern society.
The winner receives 10,000 in prize money and a Montblanc Limited Edition Mozart Fountain Pen, designed exclusively for the award and only available during the Salzburg Festival.
Rasem was joined on this years Young Directors Project shortlist by Suzanne Andrade from the UK, Bastian Kraft from Germany, and Jan Mikulaek from the Czech Republic. It was Mokhallad Rasems compelling interpretation of the tragedy Romeo & Juliet that earned the judges final vote. Presenting three pairs of lovers from three different generations, and including love poems from both European and Arabic traditions, Rasem demonstrates the universal theme of suppressed love that transcends cultures and ages.
Born in Baghdad in 1982, Rasem directed at Iraqs National Theatre before settling in Antwerp, Belgium in 2006. Romeo and Juliet, performed in Dutch with German sub-titles, marks his debut with the Toneelhuis company and features leading Belgium actors.
Maxime Harrar, Managing Director of Montblanc UAE said: We are delighted that a young director from our Middle East region has been recognised in a global competition, and that Montblanc has played a role in spotlighting Mokhallads talent. His creativity and ability to weave different cultural influences into a universally recognised story is remarkable, and we extend our heartiest congratulations to him.
Montblanc is a longstanding supporter of arts and culture, supporting a variety of initiatives in the fields of classical music, theatre and the fine arts, and a thriving part of the companys corporate culture.
