First Latin American president of SIGNIS

March 03, 2014 - For the first time in its history, SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication has a a Latin American as president. Gustavo Andújar of Cuba was elected the new president on Saturday, during the SIGNIS Assembly of Delegates in Rome, which followed the SIGNIS World Congress, on the theme “Media for a Culture of Peace: Creating Images with the New Generation”. Frank Frost, from the United States, and Lawrence John Sinniah, from Malaysia, were elected as Vice-Presidents. SIGNIS was created in November 2001 with the merger of Unda (International Catholic Association for Radio and Television) and OCIC (International Catholic Organization for Cinema and Audiovisuals). Both organizations trace their origins back to 1928.
New SIGNIS president, Gustavo Andújar was a film reviewer with OCIC Cuba since the mid-sixties, became its president in 1994, leading OCIC/SIGNIS Cuba through a process of very dynamic development. SIGNIS Vice-President since 2005, Gustavo with the Archdiocese of Havana and has been participating very actively in international communication congresses and seminars, both at the world and continental levels.
Dr. Frank Frost is an award-winning documentary television producer in the Washington, DC area. Before starting his own company, Frank Frost Productions, Frost served as Director of Creative Services for eight years at the U.S. Bishops’ conference. Frost has had a concurrent career as a movie critic and is co-founder of the National Film Retreat.
A pionneer of media education in Malaysia, Lawrence John Sinniah (aka Eljay) is the outgoing President of SIGNIS Asia and coordinator of the SIGNIS Global Video Journalist & Media Education programs.He is a creative consultant for Public Media Agency, a Kuala Lumpur-based social enterprise impelling social communication for sustainable cultural change. (Source: Signis)