The life of a refugee is strewn with hardships of epic proportions which few of us can wrap our minds around. One of the few opportunities outsiders get to comprehend the magnitude of their suffering, so as to emphasize with them and lend a helping hand, is through documentaries and movies which depict their life stories.
The UNHCR office in Bangkok is presenting the sixth edition of Refugee Film Festival, which is part of the celebration to mark World Refugee Day on June 20.
The film festival will take place from tomorrow to June 20, and is free for the public. It will be held at Paragon Cineplex, Siam Paragon. The five films that have been selected to be screened take the audience from Jordan to Pakistan and Afghanistan, chronicling the strength, courage and perseverance of the actual lives of refugees.
Movies to look out for include: He Named Me Malala, Salam Neighbor, Boxing For Freedom, Women in Gold and Facing Extinction.
Besides four of them being screened for the first time here, one has been shortlisted for the American Academy Awards and the other honoured at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.
What each film showcases are reasons why a person becomes a refugee or a displaced person. This could include being forced to flee persecution for their political or religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality or membership of a particular social group or compelled to leave as a result of war. People can become displaced because of “natural” disasters, occurring increasingly as a consequence of climate change
“Movies are probably the best form of medium for the public to better understand the plight of today’s refugees,” remarked Arunee Achakulwisut, UNHCR Thailand assistant private sector fundraising officer. “Since its inception, we have generated a fan base, who eagerly await our festival each year. One of our regular fans was so moved by the movies, that often depict the trials and tribulations of refugees that he decided to volunteer his time to help them. It is always a moving experience when this takes place.”
Speaking on the selection of the movies, Arunee said: “In terms of selecting the films, the challenge was to find ones that would be interesting enough to attract a Thai audience. Through this film festival we would like to convey the message to the public about the courage of the refugees and what they have gone through.”
The five films in the festival are:
He Named Me Malala
♦Directed by Davis Guggenheim, this documentary tells the story of Malala Yousafzai. The film looks at the events in Pakistan and the Taliban’s atrocious attack on the schoolgirl, who was shot in the head but survived to become an inspiration to young girls in hardship everywhere.
Salam Neighbour
♦As the civil war in Syria rages on, this documentary by US filmmakers Zach Ingrasci and Chris Temple continues to be relevant. The two men embedded themselves at Za’atari refugee camp, and their encounters with refugees young and old, men and women, give faces to the sometimes faceless humanitarian crisis.
Boxing For Freedom
♦Directed by Juan Antonio Moreno Amador, Silvia Venegas Venegas, the film tells the story of Sadaf Rahimi, an Afghan female boxer who has to fight against fear and prejudices on her way to become a boxing champion.
Women in Gold
♦British actress Helen Mirren stars in this film about Maria Altmann, an elderly Jewish woman who escaped death camp to settle in California. After her sister’s death, Maria is spurred to fight a legal battle to reclaim a Gustav Klimpt’s painting stolen from her family by the Nazis.
Facing Extinction
♦The documentary looks at the plight of Christian minorities in Iraq.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.