Each year on 20 June, the world celebrates World Refugee Day, the international day to honour people who have been forced to flee.
Together, we can champion their right to seek safety, build support for their economic and social inclusion, and advocate for solutions to their plight.
We look forward to seeing you all in person as we commemorate this important day. Below are some activities we have prepared for you. See you soon!
2ND REFUGEE FILM FESTIVAL
On 20-22 June 2024, UNHCR Philippines will be holding the 2nd Refugee Film Festival showcasing the stories of people forced to flee through films and documentaries from the Philippines and around the globe. The film festival aims to help bring awareness, build empathy, and mobilize action for and on behalf of the 114 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide.
Admission is FREE. Reserve your e-tickets to the films of your choice below.
THE STORY WON’T DIE
20 June 2024 (Thursday) 5:30-7:30 PM PST
THE STORY WON’T DIE, from Award-winning filmmaker David Henry Gerson, is an inspiring, timely look at a young generation of Syrian artists who use their work to protest and process what is currently the world’s largest and longest ongoing displacement of people since WWII. The film is produced by Sundance Award-winner Odessa Rae (Navalny). Rapper Abu Hajar, together with other creative personalities of the Syrian uprising, a post-Rock musician (Anas Maghrebi), members of the first all-female Syrian rock band (Bahila Hijazi + Lynn Mayya), break-dancer (Bboy Shadow), choreographer (Medhat Aldaabal), and visual artists (Tammam Azzam, Omar Imam + Diala Brisly), use their art to rise in revolution and endure in exile in this new documentary reflecting on a battle for peace, justice and freedom of expression. It is an uplifting and humanizing look at what it means to be a refugee in today’s world and offers inspiring and hopeful vantages on a creative response to the chaos of war.
THE ICE CREAM SELLERS
21 June 2024 (Friday) 1:00-3:00 PM PST
The Ice Cream Sellers tells the story of two siblings and the people of the Rohingya community who fled from Myanmar into Bangladesh after a brutal genocide. While most of the Rohingya people were exhausted from the weight of their trauma, the two siblings began their new life with hard work, selling ice-creams in the world´s largest refugee camp in a desperate attempt to earn enough money for the release of their father from prison in Myanmar.
A GIRL FROM MOGADISHU
21 June 2024 (Friday) 3:00-5:30 PM PST
‘A Girl from Mogadishu’ is based on the testimony of Ifrah Ahmed. Fleeing war-torn Somalia in 2006, she is trafficked to Ireland where as an asylum-seeking refugee, she undergoes a traumatic medical examination which reveals the extent of her mutilation as a child.
Traumatized by the memory, she turns her experiences into a force for good, emerging as one of the world’s most foremost global activists against Female Genital Mutilation.
‘Silence may be the rust on the razor that threatened to cut my throat,
but it was not my tongue they cut.
FOR SAMA
21 June 2024 (Friday) 5:30-7:30 PM PST
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.
THE INVISIBLE MONSTER
22 June 2024 (Saturday) 2:00-3:00 PM PST
Aminodin’s father always smiles because he says that “happy people live longer.” That is why, at eight years old, Aminodin puts on his best smile while working at the Papandayan dumpsite, where he lives with his family.
His cousin Aliman, on the other hand, lost his smile when bombs fell from the sky in his hometown of Marawi City. As Aliman spends his days sad and crestfallen in a refugee camp, Aminodin devises a plan to make him smile again.
The film is a story of the Filipino spirit finding hope and happiness amidst poverty, loss, war, and hunger. Directed in part by Oscar-nominated Director Javier Fesser, the 32-minute film was shot in Marawi City whose inhabitants are still experiencing the after-effects of the 5-month siege that transpired from May to October, 2017.
WE WERE HERE
22 June 2024 (Saturday) 3:00-4:00 PM PST
“We Were Here” is an original documentary series from YouTube and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, that seeks to challenge stereotypes and perceptions about refugees by focusing on what unites us rather than sets us apart – our shared passions.
The three short films in the series feature refugees and YouTube creators coming together over their common interests. This includes the inspiring stories of inventors Mohammad and Simone Giertz, musicians Fo Sho and Jax Jones and growers Bemeriki and Gaz Oakley.
SHORT FILM SCREENING
AWARDING AND CLOSING PROGRAM
22 June 2024 (Saturday) 3:50-5:00 PM PST
The screening of the Top 5 Short Film Competition entries will be followed by the Awarding and Closing Program. As part of the Film Festival, we have invited interested young people in the Philippines to submit their entries for the Short Film Competition, with the theme “Hope Away From Home”. Interested participants were encouraged to use their talent and skills in filmmaking to help bring awareness, build empathy, and mobilize action for and on behalf of the more than 114 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide.
What is World Refugee Day?
World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It falls each year on 20 June and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
Why is World Refugee Day important?
World Refugee Day shines a light on the rights, needs and dreams of refugees, helping to mobilize political will and resources so refugees can not only survive but also thrive. While it is important to protect and improve the lives of refugees every single day, international days like World Refugee Day help to focus global attention on the plight of those fleeing conflict or persecution. Many activities held on World Refugee Day create opportunities to support refugees.
When is World Refugee Day and when did it start?
World Refugee Day falls each year on 20 June and is dedicated to refugees around the globe. World Refugee Day was held globally for the first time on 20 June 2001, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. It was originally known as Africa Refugee Day, before the United Nations General Assembly officially designated it as an international day in December 2000.
What happens on World Refugee Day?
Each year, World Refugee Day is marked by a variety of events in many countries around the globe in support of refugees. These activities are led by or involve refugees themselves, government officials, host communities, companies, celebrities, school children and the general public, among others. Read our World Refugee Day Live Blog to discover some of the activities that took place in 2022.