U of G graduate Blair Cameron and students Sahba Shahmohammadloo and Shayan Majidy rap along with Nadim Merrikh, a local high school student, in their shortlisted video “Be The Change You Want To See.”

Their hip-hop video is among only three finalists in the “musical” category and 13 finalists overall for the international contest Faith Shorts 2011, sponsored by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

Shahmohammadloo and Majidy are current undergraduate students at U of G; Cameron earned a bachelor’s degree in 2009 and a master’s in 2010 in nutritional sciences. Merrikh, who led the video effort, is the son of Kian Merrikh, marketing and communications manager in U of G’s Office of Open Learning.

The local team created the three-minute video, which features synthesized beats and voice modulation, on a basic digital camera.

The finalists will be judged by celebrities Jet Li and Hugh Jackman, along with former British prime minister Tony Blair, who established the foundation to promote respect and understanding about the world’s major religions.

The winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to London and collect an award at the upcoming British Academy of Film and Television Arts award ceremony.