WASHINGTON, DC — The Middle East Institute's (MEI) signature annual event honors the region’s top visionaries, changemakers, cultural leaders, and philanthropists for their positive contributions to the political, economic, social and cultural landscape of the Middle East. The audience included numerous U.S. Ambassadors and government leaders, as well as world-renowned for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
Nadine Labaki was honored as the first woman from the Arab world to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, for Capernaum (2018). The messages in her visionary films are strengthened with direct action through the work of her Capernaum Association, which aims to improve the situation of the children and families in need who appeared in Capernaum.
Othman and Leila Benjelloun, Co-chairs of the BMCE Bank Foundation, were also honored. The Benjellouns are co-chairs of the BMCE Bank Foundation, which for nearly 30 years has been fighting illiteracy, poverty, and discrimination in rural villages across Morocco. Together they have created and financed more than 100 rural community schools throughout Morocco.
Founded in 1946, the Middle East Institute is the oldest Washington-based institution dedicated solely to the study of the Middle East. It is a non-partisan think tank providing expert policy analysis, educational and professional development services, and a hub for engaging with the region's arts and culture.
