BUDAPEST, Hungary - March 27, 2021 - Miami based Media for Change founder and president Sanjeev Chatterjee has reached an agreement with famed Hungarian journalist of Croatian origin Tvrtko Vujity to create a documentary program about Tvrtko's work and life. This will be part of Media for Change's transmedia project that seeks to underline the importance of visualizing a bright future.
Chatterjee first met Tvrtko at the University of Miami's School of Communication where the Hungarian studied journalism on a Voice of America scholarship in the mid-1990s. Chatterjee is a professor of filmmaking and journalism at the School. Tvrtko's work during the Yugoslav war won him many accolades including a Pulitzer Memorial Medal/Hungarian Pulitzer. "Although Tvrtko never took a class with me, he helped me with my PBS/History Channel documentary From the Shadow of History (1997)- about peacekeeping in the Former Yugoslavia" - said Chatterjee. They remained in touch over the years and Tvrtko worked on the Hungarian segments of Chatterjee's feature documentary One Water (2007).
Tvrtko went on to become widely known in Hungary, and the region for his impactful stories. His storytelling helped repatriate the last Hungarian WWII POW who was languishing in a Russian mental asylum in remote Tartarstan. His stories from Chernobyl helped get compensation for Hungarian truckers affected by radiation from the accident site. He has reported from North Korea, Rwanda, Haiti...the list is long. His 13 book series "Stories From Hell" sold over a million copies and has been translated into many languages. His public lecture series Tvrtko - Beyond All Borders packed auditoriums and stadiums across Europe and beyond.
In 2020 Tvrtko told Chatterjee that he was no longer interested in stories from hell on earth. He was more interested to discover paradise. This was the prompt on which Chatterjee assumed the responsibility to follow Tvrtko's journey. "Good stories have plot twists and I saw this as a major turn in Tvrtko's trajectory. This is what dreams are about - it is not a fixed north star. You must adapt" said Chatterjee.
Currently living with his family in Hawaii, Tvrtko says he is enjoying the "aloha life." He no longer has his primetime TV show .While he still works with television channels, Tvrtko is now in direct touch with his transnational audience through Facebook and other platforms. At the end of 2020 Tvrtko held a successful ticketed Facebook show. "I am amazed that my followers have remained loyal throughout this transition" Tvrtko said.
Currently Where Dreams Come From documentary is in development and plans include online engagement, short form content and a feature-length documentary. Intial filming began in Hawaii in January 2021.
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