Watch exceptional short films from around the world, made by refugee and asylum-seeking film-makers, and curated by Sarah Agha, founder of the Arab Film Club.
Each title is either written and directed by a refugee film-maker or draws on real life experience to tackle the theme in some way.
This showcase proves the power of cinema, as each film-maker succeeds in humanising both struggle and injustice with their art.
The programme includes projects from BAFTA-winning film director Hassan Akkad and Counterpoints Arts’ Pop Culture & Social Change Producer, Laith Elzubaidi.
The screening is followed by a Q&A hosted by actress, curator and presenter of the BBC’s The Holy Land and Us, Sarah Agha. Agha founded the Arab Film Club during lockdown, a community celebrating and exploring cinema from the Arab world.
Titles include:
Yellow by Elham Ehsas (12’). In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Laili walks into a Chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full-body veil from a Talib shopkeeper, and face a new future.
Aziza by Soudade Kaadan (13’). A newly displaced Syrian couple take a drive around Beirut, which soon morphs into a hallucinatory and nostalgic trip.
Address Unknown by Anton Fisher (24’). South Africa, 1976. A postman goes looking for his childhood best friend who went missing due to forced removals, before he himself is forced to relocate or face the bulldozers.
Panic! by Laith Elzubaidi (8’). Every night Layla and her sister Noor are forced to huddle under candlelight to protect themselves from an ominous threat. Until one night, a more psychological threat endangers them both.
Matar by Hassan Akkad (23’). The story of Matar, a Syrian asylum seeker in England. When confronted with the hostile immigration system, he is forced to live on the fringes of society and rely on his bike to survive.
