UNHCR launches the “11th Refugee Film Festival” to commemorate World Refugee Day amidst the alarming global displacement crisis

The number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations, and persecution has now crossed the staggering milestone of 100 million for the first time on record, propelled by the war in Ukraine and new waves of violence or protracted conflict in countries including Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“These numbers are staggering and troubling. We all share responsibility to protect people seeking safety in a country other than their own and to address all causes of forced displacement. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that they have a chance to rebuild their lives and to contribute to the searching of long-term solutions,” said Giuseppe De Vincentiis, UNHCR Representative in Thailand.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has been working closely with relevant stakeholders to provide humanitarian assistance to people forced to flee for 72 years to ensure that everyone has the right to seek safety and is entitled to safe and dignified treatment according to international protection principles.

To commemorate World Refugee Day which falls on 20 June, UNHCR Thailand in partnerships with U.S. Embassy Bangkok, the Embassy of Canada to Thailand, the Embassy of Denmark to Thailand, Paragon Cineplex, Documentary Club, TV Burabha and PlanToys organize the 11th Refugee Film Festival to showcase refugee stories with award-winning movies and documentaries from around the globe.

“Amidst global crisis and complexities, movies might not be an absolute answer, but they are an effective tool to create sympathy and connect people with the movie characters – connecting one story to another from a different corner of the world. We have seen global refugee crisis and sufferings in many areas, good movies will help create an empathic understanding of individual’s thoughts and emotions in addition to public information we receive,” said Kong Rithdee, Deputy Director of the Thai Film Archive (Public Organization).

Kritsanaphol Pongtanavaranont, Managing Director, TV Burabha stresses that the “private sector plays a crucial role in amplifying voices on behalf of refugees and how we can support them. As a TV production company, we can be part of global humanitarian efforts by delivering evidence-based messages and encouraging information sharing. The aim is to translate words into actions and make lasting changes for refugees”.

The 11th Refugee Film Festival for World Refugee Day will be screened between 17 – 20 June 2022 at Theatre 11, Paragon Cineplex. Feel free to register with no admission fee for the following 5 movies and documentaries;

1. Captain of Za’atari from Egypt;
2. Disney’s Encanto supported by the U.S. Embassy Bangkok;
3. Flee supported by Documentary Club;
4. Life overtakes me with special screening permission from Netflix, and;
5. Wandering: A Rohingya Story, a powerful documentary observing the incredible resilience from inside the world’s largest refugee camp, Kutupalong.

Registration Link at https://linktr.ee/rff11th. Other activities at the event include the showcase of Refugee Housing Unit and a Tuk Tuk painting workshop to support refugee children in Thailand at the entrance of Paragon Cineplex, 5th floor, Siam Paragon.

Throughout June, feel free to join UNHCR’s special campaign to show solidarity with refugees by uploading your photo with the solidarity ribbon and tag #WithRefugees at www.unhcr.org/th/en/world-refugee-day.

Tags: #UNHCRThailand #WithRefugees #WorldRefugeeDay

This piece was originally published on UNHCR Thailand.