Through My Lens: Cinema, Culture, and the Journey of Fraternity

Growing up across different countries, I came to see that coexistence is not expressed in one universal way but takes on unique colors depending on the culture that carries it. In Canada, I witnessed diversity lived openly in daily life, with classrooms filled with children from countless backgrounds and communities that celebrated difference as strength. In the United Arab Emirates, I discovered a harmony that blends deep respect for heritage with the energy of people from across the globe building a shared future. Later, in Malaysia, I encountered a society enriched by a mosaic of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Indigenous traditions, where spirituality and community life are deeply woven into everyday existence.

Each of these experiences became like a lens through which I saw the world. Much like cinema, which frames reality from countless perspectives, living across continents taught me that understanding is always shaped by the viewpoint we inhabit. Just as a film invites viewers to step into a life beyond their own, these countries taught me that empathy begins when we learn to see through the eyes of others. This is why I call my reflections Through My Lens, because both life and cinema remind us that perspective can open doors to fraternity.

Cinema has this remarkable power to mirror such journeys of understanding. For young people especially, it opens windows to perspectives they may never encounter otherwise. A single film can spark curiosity about another culture, challenge stereotypes, or awaken a sense of shared humanity. In a world where borders often divide, cinema bridges them with stories that speak across languages and backgrounds.

That is what brings us here to Venice. The Venice International Film Festival is not only a celebration of cinematic excellence but also a living example of culture nurturing empathy and fraternity. It gathers filmmakers, artists, and audiences from across the globe, becoming itself a space of coexistence in practice.

In the same spirit, the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity is dedicated to advancing dialogue and mutual respect. Born from the historic signing of the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity in 2019, the Committee reflects Abu Dhabi’s role as a crossroads of cultures and ideas. Through its focus on education, youth, technology, and sport, it creates spaces where people can connect beyond boundaries. The arts, and cinema in particular, bring these pillars to life by educating not only the mind but also the heart, and by empowering youth as visionaries of the future.

This is why today, alongside the Better World Fund, the Committee is proud to co host The Ties That Bind: A Journey Toward Understanding and Human Fraternity here in Venice. It is an invitation to reflect on how culture, and especially cinema, can help shape a more harmonious world.

The event, taking place alongside the prestigious Venice International Film Festival. Credit: Unsplash

Just as Venice has long been a crossroads of art and imagination, Abu Dhabi has become a crossroads of dialogue and coexistence, the place where the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity first found its voice. Together they form two chapters of the same story, Abu Dhabi as the birthplace of a vision and Venice as the stage where that vision finds expression through cinema. From Abu Dhabi to Venice, the journey of fraternity continues, carried forward by culture, by dialogue, and by the universal language of stories that unite us all.

And just as my life has been shaped by the many places I have called home, cinema holds the power to shape the next generation. It reminds us that while our stories may differ in language or setting, the emotions that bind us are shared. In those shared emotions of love, hope, loss, and resilience lies the promise of fraternity.

As a young person, I dream of a future where humanity no longer defines itself by borders but by bonds, where coexistence is not an exception but the very air we breathe. It is a future where culture opens hearts, where technology connects rather than divides, and where youth rise not as followers of old divisions but as builders of new bridges. In that future, human fraternity is not only the pillar of our existence but also the light that guides us forward. It is the world we deserve, and the world we must create together.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Noor Mousa is the Project Specialist at the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity (HCHF)