Roshini Thinakaran is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer (named in 2007),

TED TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depart ...

Global Fellow, Journalist, Photographer, Researcher,

Humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...

, and Anthropologist (Cultural). She also is a documentary filmmaker from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. Her fields of study include: women, filmmakers, and war.

Biography

Thinakaran was born in Sri Lanka and moved to the United States at age seven. Her family was fleeing the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

going on at the time. Thinakaran attended

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was orig ...

where she received a bachelor's degree in

communication studies Communication studies or communication science is an academic discipline that deals with processes of human communication and behavior, patterns of communication in interpersonal relationships, social interactions and communication in diffe ...

and a minor in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

. In 2005, she lived in Beirut, Lebanon for about six months.Thinakaran, R., & Johnson, M. (2007). Viewing War through Women's Eyes: An Interview with Roshini Thinakaran. World Literature Today, 81(6), 10-12. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/40159523

Work

Thinakaran's first short film was made about

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born Ellen Eugenia Johnson, 29 October 1938) is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. Sirleaf was born in Monr ...

, president of Liberia. The film was very short, but it "gained the attention of National Geographic." She became part of the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, ...

's Emerging Explorers Program and received a $10,000 grant. Much of her work has focused on researching and profiling the lives of women living in post-conflict zones including

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

. She established ''Women at the Forefront ''in 2005, a multimedia project that examines war through the eyes of women. Thinakaran spent 14 months in Iraqi neighborhoods making ''Women at the Forefront''. The goal of her project was to raise money and awareness for women in war zones and to support schools once the fighting ended. Thinakaran's coverage and support of women living in war zones was inspired by the time she lived in Iraq for 14 months, watching as women endured the conditions of war. In her project, the countries of Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and possibly Liberia, will be featured. Her documentary, ''What Was Promised (2008)'', focused on the US-led initiative to integrate Iraqi women into the

Iraqi Security Forces The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is a term used by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to describe law enforcement and military forces of the federal government of the Republic of Iraq. During the Iraq War, these entities received trainin ...

. It premiered at the National Geographic All Roads Film Project. In an interview with Michelle Johnson, Thinakaran cited

Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel (, born Eliezer Wiesel ''Eliezer Vizel''; September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016) was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books, written mostly in Fr ...

as a writer who has inspired her when she was younger.

Philanthropy

Thinakaran created a non-profit called Bridge the Gap Media, which advocates for education in regions that are in war zones. The non-profit supports women living in war zones to study abroad through scholarships that are secured by the non-profit. Also, it offers resources to elementary schools that have recently experienced, or come out of, war.

Films

* Women at the Forefront (2005) * What Was Promised (2008) * Journey OnEarth (film series, 2011)

References

External links

Women at the ForefrontNational Geographic Emerging Explorer ProfileTED Global Fellow Profile
http://www.catherinebradfordshow.com/archives/shows/?id=100145 I]
Interview on ''Contact Talk Radio'' September 15, 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thinakaran, Roshini Living people Sri Lankan documentary filmmakers Sri Lankan women's rights activists Year of birth missing (living people)