Movies allow us to look through the window and get a glimpse of a better understanding of others. A girl next door who wears a hijab and buys fresh bread every morning, a baker who goes to church every Sunday, children in the street chattering in an unfamiliar language, and maybe a bus driver who seems to be always gloomy and angry, but only because he is very concerned about his mother’s health. Some were born in the same country as you. Others were forced to flee from war leaving behind their families and home. Some take everything from life, while others give everything they have to their children. Movies allow us to embrace the feeling of being a person with a different past, of another origin or faith. Movies make us closer to other cultures. We are getting surprised, shocked, outraged, and sympathetic to the heroes. And that, of course, makes us more humane and closer to each other.
To watch a movie is the simplest routine task we can do to know more about the displaced. For that, we have prepared a selection of the finest films covering these issues. However, these are not the movies that will make you relax and escape from reality. But they will make you feel and be grateful for your life.
Capernaum, 2018
Are you happy to be alive? Indeed, such a question is rhetorical. Of course, it is not that you are going to sue your own parents for giving you life, right? But that is the story of 12-year old Zain from Syria in the movie “Capernaum”. It was nominated for Oscar in 2019. The film featured amateur actors. People were found after a street-casting in Beirut. No one of the children who took part in casting knew how old they were and where were they born. The movie had a significant effect on Zain’s family life. With UNHCR’s help, Zain and his relatives were granted asylum in Norway.
Goodwill Ambassador Ben Stiller was on hand for a screening of the film Capernaum in New York. Also joining him was director Nadine Labaki and the film’s star, Zain al Raffeathe, who like others in the film is a former refugee.
Human flow, 2017
“If one has time only for one movie to watch about refugees, Human Flow is your go-to choice”
Filmed across 23 countries by international artist and filmmaker Ai Weiwei, this movie captures the reality of the “refugee crisis” in today’s world and brings it to the audience in a very captivating format and in simple words and visuals to explain the phenomenon of displacement to all people. The artist brought it to the audience in a very captivating format and in simple words and visuals. The documentary focuses on different regions and countries, especially those which have been notably affected by the biggest numbers of refugee arrivals such as Greece, Turkey, France, Germany, Jordan, Kenya, Iraq.
The Distant Barking of Dogs, 2017
Documentary about Donbas “The Distant Barking of Dogs” nominated for Emmy-2020 award in the category “Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary”. The events in eastern Ukraine during the war were described in a film directed by Danish director Simon Lereng Wilmont.
The documentary follows the life of 10-year-old Ukrainian boy Oleg for over a year. Oleg lives with his grandmother, Alexandra, in the small village of Hnutove. Having no other place to go, Oleg and Alexandra stay and watch as others leave the village. The film shows just how fragile, but crucial, close relationships are for survival. From Oleg’s perspective, the film examines what it means to grow up in a warzone.
Lost and Found, 2019
‘Lost and Found’ – which spotlights double Nobel Prize-awarded organization, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency – has earned the News & Documentary Emmy Awards nominations for Outstanding Short Documentary and Outstanding Promotional Announcement.
The film follows Kamal Hussein, a Rohingya refugee who has dedicated his life to reuniting children with their parents, with the support of the UNHCR. In the chaos of the world’s largest refugee camp, Hussein is a beacon of hope.
TV Series Stateless, 2020
The series is partly inspired by the real-life story of Cornelia Rau, an Australian permanent resident who was unlawfully detained under the Australian Government’s mandatory detention program. A woman escaping a cult, a refugee fleeing with his family, a father trapped in a dead-end job, and a bureaucrat on the verge of a national scandal find their lives intertwined in an immigration detention center.
Born in Syria, 2016
Following the stories of 7 Syrian refugee children in Europe, “Born in Syria” is one of the rare movies that focus on the whole journey of refugees from their home country to local integration in the host country. It follows children by depicting their life in Syria before, during, and after the conflict, thus highlighting the traumatizing experiences they have been through in detail. It follows their journey in reception centers and refugee camps in Turkey, Hungary, and Greece and what that resulted in later on in their life. And finally, it follows up on their integration in their final destination in Europe during their first 6 months in the country.
First They Killed My Father, 2017
The movie tackles the issue of forced displacement, child encampment, and IDPs. Realized and directed by Angelina Jolie, UNHCR Special Envoy, the movie is a biographical historical thriller of Cambodian activist Loung Ung who was forced to be a child soldier since the early age of 5 during the Communist Khmer Regime.
Beasts of No Nation, 2015
The movie follows the story of Agu, a Nigerian child living in the “buffer zones” which are areas protected by the United Nations from the internal conflict in the country. But this temporary security soon comes to an end when his area gets invaded by the local government, killing families, bombing huts and kidnapping children to be forcibly taken to military training camps. The movie would serve not only as an eye-opener to what is happening in civil wars in Africa but also as a very accurate Country of Origin Information resource for people involved in Refugee Status Determination procedures.
The Breadwinner, 2017
In 2001, Afghanistan is under the control of the Taliban. When her father is captured, a determined young girl disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family. The animated drama film was executive produced by Angelina Jolie who worked with director Nora Twomey to bring the novel to the screen.
Midnight Traveler, 2019
In 2015, after Hassan Fazili’s documentary «Peace» aired on Afghan national television, the Taliban assassinated the film’s main subject and put a price on Hassan’s head. He had to flee his home with his wife and his daughters.
During their multi-year saga in search of safety, the family was filming their life with camera phones. That’s how the documentary movie “Midnight Traveler” was created. Their unique access and artistic vision provide an intimate portrait of a loving family and the myriad fellow travelers they meet on their odyssey.
Persepolis, 2007
Animated biographical film about a resilient, young Iranian girl and her life in exile in Europe. The film is based upon Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel of the same name. It was written and directed by Satrapi in collaboration with Vincent Paronnaud. The film is presented in the black-and-white style of the original graphic novels.
The story follows a young girl as she comes of age against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution. It premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, where it co-won the Jury Prize, alongside Silent Light. Persepolis was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Film and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. He also received four nominations for “Annie” – for directing, screenwriting, and music; nominations for BAFTA as Best Animated Film and Best Non-English Film. The film has also won awards at film festivals in London, Sao Paulo, and other international film forums.
This Rain will Never Stop (2020)
The family of Andriy Suleyman, 20, moved to Ukraine when it became impossible to live in Syria. But as they tried to escape one war, they found themselves amid another: the Russian aggression in the East. Andriy becomes a Red Cross volunteer in the war zone. But after his father dies, he goes to Syria to bury him in his homeland.
Desert Flower, 2009
“The extraordinary true story of the woman who crossed a desert and changed the world”
The story of Varis Deere – a simple nomadic girl from Somalia. At age 13, she ran away from her family, moved to Mogadishu, and to London. A few years later, she managed to become one of the most popular models in the world. Varis was not just the first top model of African origin, but she became the first woman to publicly condemn the practice of female circumcision and became a UN spokesperson at female genital mutilation.
Nowhere in Africa, 2001
The film depicts the life of a German-Jewish family in Kenya who immigrated there in 1938 to avoid persecution in fascist Germany. The film won the Oscar for the best foreign film, as well as five German film awards (Deutscher Filmpreis), including the best feature film of 2001.
Monsieur Lazhar, 2012
Drama film about Algerian refugee in Montreal who steps in to teach at an elementary school after the former full-time teacher commits suicide. Nobody at the school is aware of his painful past.
Limbo, 2020
A gently emotional story about a group of asylum seekers awaiting their results on a fictional remote Scottish island. Among them is Omar, a young Syrian musician burdened by the weight of his grandfather’s oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland. By Director Ben Shamrock, it received many accolades, including a nomination for Outstanding British Film at the BAFTAs.
Saint Judy, 2018
“The fight for one, is a fight for all”
The movie tells the story of Los Angeles immigration attorney Judy Wood, who single-handedly changed United States asylum law to include women to be a part of the protected class. Wood’s victory is believed by immigration advocates to have saved the lives of tens of thousands of female immigrants around the world.
We were not born refugees, 2020
The film focuses on the stories of eight refugees whose lives overlap in Barcelona: musicians, lawyers, interpreters, security guards, call center employees, who were all, one day, forced to take the road of exile to escape persecution, war, and oppression. You will be surprised to discover that their strength and dreams affect the people they work with, those they teach, and those in need of their help on a daily basis.
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