Alex Kronemer

Alexander Kronemer (born 19 June 1960, Pennsylvania, USA) is the co-founder and executive producer of Unity Productions Foundation. He is also a writer, lecturer, and documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on religious diversity, Islam and cross-cultural understanding.

Education

Kronemer received his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Economics from American University, Washington, D.C. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1982 and was honored with the "Most Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar" award. Three years later Kronemer went on to pursue a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from Harvard University. At Harvard, he concentrated in the philosophy of religion and comparative religion, graduating in 1985.

Lecturer & Commentator

As a lecturer, Kronemer has delivered talks on religious diversity and Islam for the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of State, FBI, the World Affairs Council, and the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Kronemer has also spoken at many universities including University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Cornell University, Yale University, Princeton University, and Penn State, and has addressed private corporations such as Nike, Aetna, and Walt Disney World.

Kronemer has made several appearances as a CNN commentator most notably during the network's historic live coverage of Hajj in 1998, which was broadcast to 400 million viewers. He has also been interviewed by prominent radio networks such as NPR and Voice of America.

Kronemer is also the Executive Producer of "The Noor Inayat Khan Story - Enemy of The Reich" which was produced by Unity Productions Foundation (UPF). The documentary is based on the real life of Noor. The very successful World Premiere was on 15 Feb 2014 in Washington DC and was attended by many celebrities, including many from the cast. The trailer is at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/732012028/enemy-of-the-reich-the-noor-inayat-khan-story

Professional career

August 1986 to June 1989: The Refugee Education and Employment Program—Upon completing his masters Kronemer accepted a position with the Refugee Education and Employment Program where he directed the training and job placement services for newly arrived Vietnamese, Cambodian, and former Soviet Union refugees. In an article published by the "Christian Science" in 2003, Kronemer describes his motives for having accepted the post by stating how, 'It was my moral duty to do what others had failed to do...'

November 1989 to May 1999: US Department of Labor—After working with the refugees for three years Kronemer accepted a post in the US Department of Labor where he worked for ten years performing economic research and publishing its results. He also prepared several reports and briefings for the Commissioner for the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other senior staff members. In addition to research Kronemer also facilitated and led various project teams including one that insured the readiness of Y2K.

June 1999 to July 2000: US Department of State—In the summer of 1999 Kronemer began serving as the Middle East Desk Officer for the Office of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. During this time he was also appointed as the US Delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland and was instrumental in briefing senior State Department and White House Officials on issues related to Islam. Kronemer was awarded a written commendation for organizing the first State Department "Iftar Dinner" that was hosted by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright

July 2000 to Present: Co-founder and Executive Producer for Unity Productions Foundation—In 2000 Alex Kronemer and Michael Wolfe cofounded the non-profit 501(c)3 corporation, Unity Productions Foundation with a mission of 'working for peace through media.' Alex is also the Executive Producer for all films produced by UPF. For his work Kronemer received the 2008 Interfaith Bridge Builders Award 'For Passionate Commitment to Inter-Religious Understanding through the Arts' by the Washington DC, Interfaith Council.

Filmography

Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet – Competed August 2002 - '...candid, thoughtful, flowing, and visually stunning...' - Los Angeles Times

Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain – Completed May 2007 - '...fascinating...' - Wall Street Journal

Prince Among Slaves - Completed May 2007 - 'A lost African prince is found.' - Time

On A Wing and a Prayer – Completed January 2008 - 'If there's any justice in the world, On a Wing and a Prayer will increase understanding of Muslim values' - New York Times

Allah Made Me Funny – Completed July 2008 - 'The title doesn't lie!' - New York Times

Talking Through Walls– Completed November 2008

Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think – Completed May 2009 - 'Inside Islam is an important film.' - Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright

Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World - Completed July 2012 - 'Few documentaries parallel Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World as a means to gain insight into Muslims and their heritage' - Common Ground News Service

Awards and Grants

Awards

In 1996, he was awarded a Joseph J. Malone Fellowship for Middle East and Islamic Studies, which funded him for a study tour of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

In 2008, he was awarded the Interfaith Bridge Builders Award "For Passionate Commitment to Inter-Religious Understanding through the Arts."

Grants

Kronemer's work has been supported by numerous grants, including the World Economic Forum, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Packard Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Montgomery County Commission on the Humanities, and a Halberstam Writing Fellowship.:

'The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation' • Outreach Funding – 20,000 Dialogues – 2009, 2008

The El-Hibri Charitable Foundation • Production Funding – Inside Islam – 2009 • Production Funding – Prince Among Slaves – 2006 • Production Funding – Cities of Light – 2004 • Production Funding – Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet – 2002

One Nation, a Special Project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors • Outreach Funding – 20,000 Dialogues – 2008 • Production Funding – Allah Made Me Funny – 2007 • Production Funding – Talking Through – 2007 • Production Funding – On a Wing and a Prayer – 2007

U.S. Institute of Peace • Companion Website – Cities of Light – 2007

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting • Production Funding – Cities of Light– 2006 • Production Funding – Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet – 2004

The National Endowment for the Humanities • Production Funding – Prince Among Slaves – 2006, 2005 • Research and Development – Prince Among Slaves – 2004, 2003

The National Black Programming Consortium • Production Funding – Prince Among Slaves – 2005

The David and Lucille Packard Foundation • Production Funding – Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet – 2002

Carnegie Corporation • For a joint outreach project on Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet and Muslims, both airing on PBS (December 2002) – 2003

Publications

Kronemer has published essays in numerous newspapers and journals, including The Southern Quarterly, the Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, the San Jose Mercury News, Beliefnet.com, and The Washington Post. His articles have been included in several book anthologies, including the September 11 memorial book, Up From the Ashes (2001) and Wilber Prize winner, Taking Back Islam(2002).

External links

General

Films

Full text articles

References

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