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January 2008
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ALUMNI PROFILE |
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SOC Alumna and Journalist Also Making Mark in Film
When Jehan Harney, SOC/MA ’98, was presented with a fellowship offer to attend AU’s School of Communication and earn a master's degree, her family and friends weren’t automatically convinced she should go. After all, she was already finding success as a journalist, freelance writer, and radio producer in Egypt – her home of many years and where she had earned a bachelor's degree at The American University in Cairo. “It was very far from home,” explains Harney, who was originally born in Kuwait. “I was earning good pay and lived with my family. Everything was taken care of. Being a young, single Egyptian woman, it was not culturally common to do such a thing….But it was an interesting gamble and it ended up being well worth it.” Well worth it turned out to be an understatement, as Harney quickly made good use of every opportunity presented to her. A student essay focusing on the monopolization of media garnered a John Merriman Award from the Writers Guild of America. It was a big deal for Harney, as Western media clearly had an impact on her desire to be a journalist. “In the Middle East, we really looked up to America and how they presented their news.” What Harney soon discovered was that AU had presented more creative media for her to explore than originally planned. After learning of an emotional story of a man living in Boston with down's syndrome, she persuaded SOC Professor John Doolittle to loan her a camera. The result ended up being her first documentary film, Jimmy. Jimmy was “a story that I thought should be told,” says Harney. “He took care of his father, worked at an elderly center, and made a difference in his community. It was interesting to look at the world through his eyes.” Impressively, her first film experience drew recognition in the form of a Christophers Making a Difference Award and officially hooked her on film. “It allows me to be more creative than producing news for journalism.”
Immediately following her graduation from AU, Harney found work in editing and news production for Virginia ABC affiliate WJLA. After having spent another year and a half in Detroit gaining more experience in news production for NBC affiliate WDIV, it was on to New York City, where her husband had accepted a job as a representative of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Harney and her husband continued to move around the world, with the next stop being Prague. The move created more filming opportunities and she completed two projects (Emilie and Sterile Dreams) while also teaching journalism at a small university. Both films received Czech television and radio coverage, with the latter film exploring the controversial subject of the illegal sterilization of women in the Czech Republic. “I was afraid Czechs wouldn’t like it because they would perceive it as putting them in a negative light, but it was well received. Not everyone in the world knows that this is going on.”
While spending an extended holiday with family in Boston after leaving Prague, Harney created yet another three films. Soul Mechanic, her latest and admitted favorite, has been very well received. The documentary follows a Cambridge, Massachusetts mechanic named “Mahmood” who displays his art work in his shop, leading to spirited discussions with his patrons on subjects like life, art, and occasionally, cars. The film has an infectious positivity to it and is best described by the artist as, "promoting a more unifying and moderate Islam in America through the works of a humble mechanic." Harney currently resides in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia with her family which includes two young sons. “I love living and being in Washington,” she says. Harney also encourages alumni and friends of AU to visit her online. With a solid selection of short films to choose from that represents a lifetime of experiences during a short period of time, she will undoubtedly hook you into the world she has deftly used her camera to catch on film. -David Ferraris | |||||||
