Ali Nouraldin, Palestine
Greece: The hour of enchantment
Night has fallen in Idomeni. A night between further days spent in a state of waiting in uncertainty.
More than 12,000 refugees, mostly from Syria and mostly children and adolescents, are stranded here near the Greek-Macedonian border. Stopped on their way to Germany, the promised land. Volunteers have improvised an open-air cinema to entertain the children with movies. To allow them to escape from the camp’s drab reality and to let their thoughts fly free.
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130238/a57ff25ca531e78024623b4b2099c086/2-preis-nouraldin-ali-07-palestine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130236/57889060aef92ac77851c68faa501303/nouraldin-ali-01-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130262/224b633e3b9871bec84d385017bd834e/nouraldin-ali-02-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130260/c159686aa131a47d428b0ada92a9b980/nouraldin-ali-03-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130234/2ae22d04a9de8e16c2c385bb26eaf7e8/nouraldin-ali-04-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130264/1c38b022f4d62ffbe3cb53306cc4fc12/nouraldin-ali-05-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130254/82339be73d035baf7b66d829411b17e8/nouraldin-ali-06-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130246/7e688746cc9a8551a9f4de4c34b077c8/nouraldin-ali-08-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130244/c23571319543180b8f54f787961dac5d/nouraldin-ali-09-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130242/c0f2d9a68eb6fe629caf8bdfb1ab150a/nouraldin-ali-10-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130248/ab3aa5b908cfc278b92290cab67cf3bf/nouraldin-ali-11-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130240/132ff92e168c1a26ed8ff0ed248b500e/nouraldin-ali-12-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130258/36f7cefa9ebdb3fb6fd13689c218a032/nouraldin-ali-13-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
![Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif) Greece: The hour of enchantment | © Ali Nouraldin (laif)](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130252/57a8c6e5c307c0085c86dcf5b5596945/nouraldin-ali-14-palesine-the-forgotten-data.jpg)
Photographer Ali Nouraldin, born in 1985 in Gaza, currently residing in Cologne and working for various international media, captured this moment of enchantment during a lengthy stay in Idomeni. What he found most touching were the anxious but also hopeful questions the refugees asked him.
A little refugee child, for example, once took him by the hand and listened intently to his description of schools in Germany. Or people lining up for hours to get a map which they could study to find a way north. Full of streets they weren’t allowed to pass. Nouraldin took pictures of children in tents, waiting in line, behind fences and amid puddles in a mud-soaked camp – and this one magical moment: the fascination of being able to forget reality – at least until the closing credits – reflected in their faces.
Curriculum Vitae: Ali Nouraldin (laif)
![Portrait: Ali Nouraldin UNICEF Foto des Jahres: Ali Nouraldin](https://www.unicef.de/_cae/resource/blob/130184/900b0cd0b253d55603c5ecd62520f898/portrait-nouraldin-ali-07-web-450-data.jpg)
Date of Birth: 10 August 1985
Place of Birth: Gaza Strip Nationality
Currently living in Cologne, Germany
Profile Internationally: covering news events in conflict areas in Gaza Strip, Libya, Egypt , Yemen , Iraq, Syria , Tunisia and elsewhere.
Education 2007: Journalism at the "Al-Azhar University" in Gaza (Bachelor)
Work experience:
2003- 2014: Photographer, European Pressphoto Agency „epa“
2010: MENA World Press Photo Work Experience
Grants/Nominations
2011: Winner / Emirats Arab Award
2013: Winner / Frontline Club Awards
2013: Wire Photographer Spotlight / TIME Magazine
2013: Discovering the Next Generation of Photojournalists at World Press Photo’s Masterclass
2013: Joop Swart Masterclass
2014: Winner / DAYS JAPAN Award
PDN's 30: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch
Publishers: New York Times, The Guardian, Time Magazine, Los Angeles Times, News Week, Washington Post
Languages: Arabic (mother tongue)/ English (fluently)/ Hebrew (fluently)/ German (A1)
References:
Jens- Uwe Thomas: Reporter ohne Grenzen e.V.
Peter Bitzer: Geschäftsführer bei laif Agentur für Photos & Reportagen GmbH