As we approaching World Refugee Day tomorrow, 20th June, we have featured 5 powerful movies that portray the reality of displaced people.
The year 2020 will be remembered like no other. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all facets of life, causing millions of deaths around the world and leading to human suffering, economic recession, restrictions on human mobility and severe limitations on daily life.
During 2020, several crises – some new, some longstanding and some resurfacing after years – forced 11.2 millionpeople to flee, compared to 11.0 million in 2019. This figure includes people displaced for the first time as well as people displaced repeatedly, both within and beyond countries’ borders. Many also fled from climate-related emergencies such as floods and droughts, with no guarantee of a quick return. As displacement grew, so did the number of people of concern to UNHCR, with almost 92 million refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced, stateless, recent returnees and host communities.
In the days leading up to World Refugee Day, ChangeMakr Asia have featured five powerful movies to challenge and even change our perceptions on the issues of human migration and displacement. Stories of migration and courage. Stories of healing. Stories of humanity.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
Movies to watch
1. First They Killed My Father (2017)
Issue : life under Khmer Rouge in Cambodia
Director : Angelia Jolie
Director : Angelia Jolie
Cast : Sareum Srey Moch, Phoeung Kompheak, Sveng Socheata, Min Kimhak
Synopsis : a five-year-old girl embarks on a harrowing quest for survival amid the sudden rise and terrifying reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
Language : English, Khmer, French
Language : English, Khmer, French
Where to watch : Netflix
2. Beasts Of No Nation (2015)
Issue : Child refugee in West Africa (R21)
Director : Cary Joji Fukunaga
Cast : Idris Elba, Abraham Attah, Kurt Egyiawan, Jude Akuwudike
Synopsis : when civil war tears his family apart, a young West African boy is forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters and transform into a child soldier. This movie highlights the trauma of forced displacement, forced labor and war on the psychology of children.
Where to watch : Netflix
3. For Sama (2019 Documentary)
Issue : An intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war.
Director : Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
Synopsis : an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war. A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her.
Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice– whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.
Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice– whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.
4. Refugee (2016 Documentary)
Issue : A West African refugee seeking asylum for themselves and their children.
Director : Joyce Chen, Emily Moore
Cast : Aicha Ba
Synopsis : Despite the trauma of her past, a life-threatening illness, and the harsh realities in the South Bronx, West African refugee Aicha Ba perseveres, driven solely by the desire to be reunited with her children again. The story of hope and its power to propel human through insurmountable obstacles, ever after losing everything.
Where to watch : Amazon Prime
5. Stateless (2019)
Issue : The true story about Australian immigration detention
Director : Emma Freeman, Jocelyn Moorhouse
Cast : Yvonne Strahovski, Asher Keddie, Fayssal Bazzi, Marta Dusseldorp, Dominic West
Synopsis : Four characters caught up in an immigration system that profoundly affects their lives. Each character deals with the contradictions of protection and border control from a unique perspective, offering relevant and timely insight into issues that countries are grappling around the world.
Where to watch : Netflix
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