AMIDEAST was saddened by the death of Bassel Al Shahade, a student in the Fulbright Foreign Student Program who was pursuing a master of fine arts degree in film at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. Shahade, from Damascus, Syria, was a promising young filmmaker and civic activist who had already used his filmmaking talent before joining the Fulbright program to draw attention to the problems facing women in his country and to the impact of drought on communities in northern Syria. As fighting intensified in Syria, Shahade could not ignore the deterioration of conditions and decided to return. He was killed May 28 in the embattled city of Homs, where he had travelled to train activist videographers and to work on a film of his own about the historic events underway in his country.

We extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends. His death is a loss to the AMIDEAST and Fulbright communities, of which he was a part for much too short a time. It is also a tragedy for his country, which more than ever needs the contributions of its talented younger generation, especially those willing to sacrifice for a better future.