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29 March 2024

Ras Al Khaimah has its own Oscar glory

Published
By Staff

An assistant professor at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah, Dr. Cambria Russel, is waiting with bated breath for the Oscar awards ceremony on February 24, 2013, in Los Angeles.

Dr Russel featured in ‘Mondays at Racine’, a film nominated in Documentary Short Form category for the Oscars.

Dr Russel was one of the three women featured in the short documentary directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker Cynthia Wade.

The 40-minute documentary revolves round a salon in Long Island that opens its doors every month to women diagnosed with cancer.

Every third Monday of the month, sisters Cynthia and Rachel open up their hair salon ‘Racine’ to offer free beauty services for women undergoing chemotherapy.

The sisters are determined to give women losing their hair, eyebrows and eyelashes a sense of normalcy and dignity at a traumatic and uncertain time.  The story of what hair means in our culture quickly unfolds into an unexpected look at womanhood, marriage, and survival.

Dr. Hassan Al Alkim, Vice Chancellor of American University of Ras Al Khaimah, said, “The university is thrilled that one of our professors is being featured in an award-winning documentary.  Dr. Cambria’s brave story is very inspiring.  We congratulate Dr. Cambria on her bravery and the role she has played in the film. We would all be watching the Oscars with great anticipation on February 24."

This is the second nomination for director Cynthia Wade, who previously won the Oscar in 2008 for her documentary short "FREEHELD".

‘MONDAYS AT RACINE’ received Special Jury Mention from the SilverDocs Documentary Festival, Audience Award from the Boston Independent Film Festival, Audience Award from Indianapolis International Film Festival, and a nomination for an International Documentary Award from the IDA, all in 2012.

Academy Award-winning director Cynthia Wade is known for making unflinching and intimate films about social issues.

Over the course of her career she has won over 50 awards for her films, including two wins at the Sundance Film Festival and an Oscar in 2008.