Berlin Alexanderplatz Live Q&A
Co-presented with Films at the MFAH and Goethe Pop Up Houston
with Burhan Qurbani and Rand Omran
Join Houston Cinema Arts Society, Films at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and Goethe Pop Up Houston for a free virtual discussion with the director of the new adaptation of Berlin Alexanderplatz, Burhan Qurbani, on April 24th at 1pm CDT. The discussion will be moderated by Rand Omran. This event is free and will be available to watch as a pre-recorded video after the event.
The live discussion is presented alongside a virtual run of Berlin Alexanderplatz which can be rented here.
KINO! Germany NOW! 2021 Discover New Talent is presented by the German Film Office, an initiative of the Goethe-Institut and German Films.
Special Guests
Burhan Qurbani
Burhan Qurbani was born in 1980 in Germany after his parents moved there in 1979 as political refugees from Afghanistan. His father was a civilian employee in the U.S. Army and so Burhan grew up in different cities all over Germany. In 2002, he started studying film directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. For his short films he received the Short Film Prize of German Film Critics, the German Camera Prize for best short and the “Black Pearl” for the best upcoming filmmaker at the Middle East International Film Festival in 2008. His graduation film, Shahada (2010), premiered in competition at the 60th Berlinale in 2010 and was critically acclaimed and awarded at many festivals around the world. His second feature, We are young. We are strong (2014) opened the competition at Rome IFF and Hof IFF and received multiple awards worldwide.
Rand Omran
Rand Omran was working as a Cultural Orientation Instructor at YMCA International Services. She has been serving refugees since 2009. Now she is working at Houston Community College as an academic advisor and instructor.
In 1997 Rand received her Masters of Political Science in and 2007 she earned her Ph. D. of Philosophy in Political Science, both from the University of Baghdad. From 1999 to 2007, Rand worked at the International Studies Center, University of Baghdad as a researcher. In 2007, Rand fled from Baghdad to Jordan with her family. She then came to Houston as a refugee in 2008. Initially Rand worked in the Resettlement department, providing resettlement, employment, and social services.
In 2015, she cofounded of P.E.A.C.E. (Promoting Eastern Artisan Collaborative Effort). She is a board member of Iraqi American Society; a member of Youth Empowerment Group Leadership @FAM Houston. She enjoys working with people from different cultures and backgrounds and using her training, skills, and personal experiences as a refugee to improve the lives of others.