Summer may be the season for blockbusters, but we’ve got something for cinemagoers who are sick of superhero films. This month, get your film fix while learning about the humanitarian crises affecting refugees all over the world by attending the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)’s ninth Refugee Film Festival.
From the 10th to the 19th of June, three documentaries which showcase the struggles and resilience of refugees will be shown at selected local cinemas. As the festival costs are paid for by sponsors, all proceeds from ticket sales will go towards funding the UNHCR’s international refugee aid.
“Fire at Sea” focuses on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa during the ongoing European migrant crisis. Director Gianfranco Rosi contrasts the dangers faced by refugees crossing the Mediterranean to Lampedusa with the comparatively stable, content life of a local 12-year-old boy. The film won the prestigious Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival, where Meryl Streep, who chaired the jury, called it “urgent, imaginative and necessary filmmaking”.
“Boxing for Freedom” documents the life of Sadaf Rahimi, an young Afghani woman who previously lived as a refugee in Iran. As a student and Afghanistan’s most prominent – and perhaps best – female boxer, Rahimi has become a target for social and religious criticism in a country with constrictive definitions of femininity. The film follows Rahimi and her younger sister as they literally fight for their right (to be badasses).
Finally, “Young Syrian Lenses” follows a group of young citizen journalists. Armed with only their cameras, these media activists fight against the current Syrian regime by filming the tragedies happening every day in Aleppo. Shot in first person point-of-view, this gripping documentary shows the realities of how the war in Syria has affected and devastated the lives of its ordinary citizens.
When: Friday, June 10, to Sunday, June 19, 2016
Locations:
Broadway Cinematheque, Prosperous Garden, 3 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei, (Google Maps)
PALACE ifc, Podium L1, ifc Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central (Google Maps)
AMC Pacific Place, Level 1, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty (Google Maps)
Price: HKD85 at Broadway Cinematheque, HKD95 at PALACE ifc and AMC Pacific Place
Tickets: Broadway Cinematheque, PALACE ifc, AMC Pacific Place
