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The World Film Institute
The American World Film Awards
We Welcome an Upcoming Worldwide Phenomenon

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By Ethel C. (Richard) Afridi

The Family Film Awards are returning to national television next year (!) and AMERICAN WORLD FILM AWARDS will for the first time in television history air on November 4th 2019 to a worldwide audience on national television.
During 1994 Dr. Olympia A. Gellini had already had some success with a couple of his films and one in particular known as Berlin Wall. One day while he was visiting with Jack Valenti, President of the Motion Picture Association of Americawhile he was staying at the Majestic Hotel, Cannes Film Festival, (France) they’d had a conversation together in which Jack had expressed how much he’d liked Dr. Gellini’s film- Berlin Wall. When Antonio had answered that he’d not come to discuss Berlin Wall, Jack asked him, “Why did you come?”
Dr. Gellini explained how he’d had an idea that if the festivals were to all each agreeto give to the winners of their festivals a final competition at the world stage level, which he titled, “The World Film Awards” that it will be an great incentive for international artists to present their work and a chance to be acknowledged as the ultimate winner – and the world’s finest within the field. Jack was very excited about Dr. Gellini’s idea and told him to return again the following day when he would present this idea to the crowds, as there were to be at least 1,000 participating festival artists and some 50 directors present.
Toward the following evening Jack took the microphone and addressed the crowd, “We have been here 10 days and everyone attacks one another arguing over winners place, but I have good news for you…Dr. Gellini has a program for World Film Awards. Work with him and Hollywood will look for you! So, then it will be that the winners of the Cannes, Berlin and all other important film festivals will compete together for a solution! In private, Jack addressed his new friend, saying to him, “Come to the United States and I will introduce you to Mr. Dick Clark!”
Mr. Clark was the creator and master of Hollywood Awards Shows. As a producer and founder of Dick Clark Productions, he’d provided 170 television programming hours a week by 1985. His company produced made-for-TV movies, game shows, award shows, beauty pageants, and “reality” programs.

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Clark created The American Music Awards in 1974 and also produced such notables as The Academy of Country Music A wards, The Soap Awards, The Daytime Emmy Awards, The Golden Globe Awards, and, in 1996, “The 48th Annual Emmy Awards.” …and a World Film Awards was the greatest idea of all of them put together! Mr. Valenti wanted to see them come into reality.
Dr. Gellini,during 1994 as founder and president of the World Film Institute walked into Mr. Dick Clarks office accompanied by Jack Valentiand walked out as an executive producer with Dick Clark Productions and with his own new television awards show in the works called the World Film Awards.It was later (during 1995) that a contract was signed for the Family Film Awards (which aired on CBS Network August 22, 1996 and was viewed by over 700 million households worldwide – making it to this day the most watched Hollywood television awards show in all of television history) – a momentum was building within the industry, stirring much excitement within film makers and artists circles.
Studio executives for the Oscars however were nervous at all of the excitement, worried that a World Film Awards might drown out their “baby” (the Oscars). The studio’s had not all of the information and misunderstood the formula used in determining winners of the World Film Awards, that it is a world competition held within America which pitches the winners of the major festivals at another competition with each other one last time and rewarding the very best of the best films and artists(and) which will include Americanjudges, large production companies, artistsand studios with joint participation in overseeing the finals.
They’d failed to see the World Film Awards in their true light = as an International Olympicsin the tradition of the ancient Olympic Games of Olympia, Greece (which also included Olympic games for the entertainment arts as well as for sport), so these modern day Hollywood based Olympia Awards were first created by The World Film Institute to award the world’s greatest of filmmakers…and so during 1995 studio executives(for the Oscars) were worried thatforeign outside studios would be competing with the Oscars and againstthe then existing Americanstudios shareof the motion pictures industry withininternationalfilm markets should the World Film Awards take place.
Because of this misunderstandingof the World Film Awards platform an inside deal was cut between the people who ran the studios(which produced theOscars) – and Ted Turner, then owner of Turner Broadcasting Company (whocarried the contract for the World Film Awards) and which inside deal resulted in the studios buying out Ted Turner Broadcasting, and leaving the contract made with Dick Clark Productions and the World Film Institute for World Film Awards unfulfilled. Mr. Dick Clark suggested strongly to Dr. Gellini that he sue the studios who had breached the contract after they’d acquiredMr. Turner’s ownership stock in the broadcasting company.

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However Dr. Gellini, because of personal convictions (he comes from anethnic background where lawsuits are notconsidered to be morally correct and are notpursued). He was born in Iran before theIslamic government took control, his fatheris Swiss Iranian and a secular Muslim and his mom who is Jewish, is from Florence, Italy (happily married they live in Switzerland). Dr. Gellini was taught Islam and Judaism as a child and was witness to a very great diversity of peoples in his younger years (and) he’d chosen his mother’s faith as his own. Out of respect for his family’s traditions and religious convictions, realizing that both Muslim and Jewish persons – who hail originally from Persian Iran,do not sue people, Dr. Gellini refused to sue. Also …Dr. Gellini was happy for what good fortune he had receivedwithin America already and he being appreciative of the goodwill of the American people,and so, though he’d lost the contract for the World Film Awards at that time – hewas legitimately grateful for the Family Film Awards contract (which had not been cancelled).
Fast forward:November (2018) it is 23 years later – The Family Film Awards are returning to national television next year (!) and AMERICANWORLD FILM AWARDS will for the first time in television history air on November 4,th, 2019to a worldwide audience on national television. Duringthis year’s opening of the American Film Market ANNOUNCED ON THE RED CARPET were The American World Film Awards by founders Dr. Olympia A. Gellini and Mr. Steven Nia – as development decisions are currently being madefor the two shows – implementing the American World Film Awards which is great news for filmmakers worldwide. The 23rd Family Film Awards are also slated to air on nationwide television during 2019.
The original dream is not merely alive and kicking… It is happening… and the International platform of The American World Film Awards and The Family Film Awards hasparticipation of our world’s government and business leaders, international film industry…filmmakers and top artists who are excited and stirring and there alsoare the Worldwide Olympia Awards of Cultures, Arts, &Entertainment and Olympia Awards City of Light International Theme Parks(which are topic for another wholearticle)…and this time the networks and the studiosare (all of them) onboard!
Dr. Gellini has a message for all persons pursuing their dreams. “Never give up on your dream because you never know when your dream will in actuality“come true”, and it may be just around the corner …to becoming reality…!”

Coming to Nationwide Television in 2019!
The 23rd Family
Film Awards
The Olympia
Awards Competitions
& The American
World Film Awards

*The World Film Institute is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit educational organization promoting the advancement and recognition of the cultural arts, artists and of the motion picture industry, entertainment, the sciences and humanities worldwide and are part of UNESCO programs for International Friendship and World Peace. Dr. Olympia, A. Gellini received Ambassador for World Peace Award 2014 (WCH) We Care Humanity, United Nations (and) Ambassador for Peace Award from The Universal Peace Federation United Nations, New York, New York. He is recently being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his unsurpassed dedication and work in helping nations and peoples to bridge differences through medium of the arts and sciences.
Through the vision of its founder Dr. Olympia A. Gellini the World Film Institute strives to tear down cultural barriers aiming at world peace and unification of world citizens through arts, media and motion pictures.

WFI promotes racial, gender and ethnic equality, offering its members and the public at large distinguishes global awards including Family Film Awards and Olympia Awards of Cultural Arts, Artists and Entertainment of the World. World Film Institute also offers a vast resource of services including film studies, scholarships, motion picture industry seminars, advanced technological support, networking opportunities as well as exclusive entertainment and fashion industry events.

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