Dina Hossain is currently deputy creative director of the International Freedom Center (IFC) , an educational and cultural institution that will be built on the former site of the World Trade Center. Currently under development, the IFC will contain up to 50,000 square feet of exhibition and gallery space. It is scheduled to open its doors in September 11, 2009, with the expectation that it will have up to two million annual visitors. Dina is employed by Kunhardt Productions, the documentary film company that is leading the IFC’s creative team.  

Dina has spent more than ten years making documentaries for both domestic and international broadcasters. In addition to field producing documentaries for the BBC, PBS’ Frontline and ABC News’ Nightline, she has also co-produced several programs for New York Times Television as well as an Emmy award-winning documentary for “American Masters.” 

FILMOGRAPHY 

CO-PRODUCER

Eternal Egypt (2005). For several thousand years, the magnificent monuments of Ancient Egypt have stood as striking reminders of the region’s remarkable past.  But with the advent of Christianity and later, the Arab conquests, any sense of the people who erected the obelisks, temples and pyramids and what they intended them to convey was lost to history. Or so it once seemed. This film tells the dramatic story of the explorers and archaeologists, scholars and scientists who, over the last 200 years have sought to unearth, understand and preserve the antiquities of Ancient Egypt. History Channel. Executive Producer Peter Kunhardt. Producer/Director Graham Judd. 

CO-PRODUCER

Thomas L. Friedman Reporting: The Other Side Of Outsourcing (2004). In the first few years of the 21st century, "outsourcing" became the buzzword in the business world. But apart from the storm it has roiled on American soil, the practice has also stirred tension in India, where most jobs are being sent. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas L. Friedman heads to Asia to meet the workers benefiting from outsourcing and to see what ripples it has sent through the deeply traditional and fast-changing country. Discovery Channel.  Executive Producer. Ann Derry; Producer Kenneth Levis.  

CO-PRODUCER

Up From Slavery, Somali Bantu and the American Dream (2003). The film will, in verité style, document the resettlement of one of the most persecuted groups in the world as they leave behind a two hundred year legacy of slavery and subjugation and face new challenges in the US, where 12,000 of them have been granted asylum status on humanitarian grounds. By following the daily struggles of two Somali Bantu families, the film will tell a very human story that will make a tremendous contribution to the public’s understanding of human rights, civil liberties, and tolerance in America.  PBS. Produced and directed by Anne Makepeace. (In Production) 

CO-PRODUCER

Nuclear Nightmare: Understanding North Korea (2003). The film examines the man behind the current nuclear crisis, Kim Jong Il, and the country he rules over with an iron fist. The one-hour documentary, produced by New York Times Television for the Discovery Channel, explores how Kim Jong Il, one of the last of the old style communist rulers, came to power, and how he has survived into the 21st century despite the enormous hardships and deprivation the people of North Korea have suffered, including a widespread famine in which more than a million citizens starved to death. Discovery. Executive Producer Ann Derry; Senior Producer Ken Levis

PRODUCER/CO-WRITER

Undiagnosed – Women’s Heart Disease (2003). Through the story of four women who had either heart attacks or severe heart problems, we learn about the causes and cures of this horrible disease. Discovery Health. Executive Producer: Tim Smith. 

FIELD PRODUCER

September’s Children (2002).  Children who witness war and conflict grow up far too quickly, and often with debilitating side effects. September’s Children, narrated by award-winning CNN anchor Judy Woodruff, focuses on the effect of war and terrorism on children. More importantly, it offers valuable insights into alleviating their emotional trauma. The program brings to life the searing events of September 11th through the eyes of students at Public School 234 in New York City, the elementary school closest to Ground Zero on 9/11. The production also travels to war zones including Afghanistan, Israel and Gaza, where teachers, parents and mental health workers are using innovative techniques to treat the emotional havoc war and violence inflicts on children. PBS & Newsweek Productions. Executive Producer: Tim Smith, Dir./Producers: Graham Judd, Rick Smigielski, Veronica Young.

FIELD PRODUCER

Frontline: Muslims (2002). Misconceptions and lack of understanding dominate America’s perception of Islam, the world’s second larges and fastest growing religion. Muslims, a two-hour documentary, takes an in-depth look at what it means to be a Muslim in the 21st century. Filmed in Egypt, Malaysia, Iran, Turkey, Nigeria and the United States, Muslims explores the influence of culture and politics on religion, and provides a deeper understanding of the political forces at work among Muslims around the world. The film emphasizes Islam’s kinship with Christianity and Judaism and looks at diverse interpretations of Islam in different Muslim countries. Drawing on the perspectives of leading scholars of Islam, this program tells the stories of Muslims struggling to define how Islam will shape their lives and societies. Exec. Prod: Alvin H. Perlmutter, David Fanning. Senior Prod: Martin Smith. Prod/Writer by Graham Judd & Elena Mannes.   Winner Golden Cine Award.

SCRIPT SUPERVISOR

The Clay Bird/ Matir Moina (2002). Set against the backdrop of the turbulent period in the late 1960s leading up to Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, The Clay Bird tells the story of a family torn apart by religion and war. Anu, a shy young boy from rural East Pakistan (Bangladesh, as it is now known) is sent away by his father Kazi, an orthodox Muslim, to a Madrasah - or Islamic- school. Far from his family and the warmth of his region's Hindu festivities, Anu struggles to adapt to the school's harsh monastic life. As the political divisions in the country intensify, an increasing split develops between moderate and extremist forces within the Madrasah. Back in the village, these same tensions create a growing divide between the stubborn but confused Kazi and his increasingly independent wife, Ayesha. Directed by Tareque Masud. Produced by Catherine Masud. International Critics Award, Cannes Film Festival 2002.

CO-PRODUCER

American Masters: Finding Lucy (2000).  The film revisits the life and career of one of America's favorite funny ladies—the first female television superstar and the first solo female head of a major studio. With exclusive interviews from Carol Burnett, Fran Drescher, family members and friends, Finding Lucy also showcases the most extensive set of film clips from the comedienne's life.. PBS. Executive Producer: Susan Lacy; Producer and director: Pamela Mason Wagner. Winner Emmy Award.

Other films:

• Are We Safer? (Field Producer, 2004)

• Visions of War (Field Producer, 2003)

• American Masters: Ella Fitzgerald: Something to Live For (Associate Producer, 1999)

• American Masters: Leonard Bernstein - Reaching for the Note (Associate Producer, 1998)

• Freedom Song/Muktir Gaan (Assistant Editor, 1995)

• Aleya: A Bangladeshi Poet in America (producer & director, 1994)

May, 2005

Photo Courtesy: Graham Judd,

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