Celebrating World Refugee Day with acclaimed world cinema

To commemorate World Refugee Day 2023, UNHCR Malta is collaborating with Spazju Kreattiv Cinema to present two powerful films which shed a light on those forced to flee from their homes.

Taking place annually on 20 June, World Refugee Day offers us a chance to honour people who have been forced to flee. ‘Hope Away From Home’ is the rallying cry for this year’s edition of the event, with UNHCR pushing forward its belief in the power of inclusion, and in efforts towards creating solutions for refugees attempting to rebuild their new lives in new countries.

And while it is not the role of cinema – nor art in general – to offer up clear-cut solutions to complex issues, great works of art can widen our scope for empathy, and ask pertinent questions about the world we live in. The acclaimed feature films making up this festival will take audiences on a turbulent emotional journey that will highlight both the universality, but also the very human particularity, of each refugee story.

Tuesday, 20 June 2023, 8.00pm

Exodus

Two worlds collide when Sam (40), a people smuggler, reluctantly saves Amal, a 12-year-old girl whose whole family has gone missing in the Syrian war. Amal believes that they are on their way to Sweden so she sets out on a journey to find them. Sam hesitates but is troubled by the thought of leaving the girl alone in a no-man’s land, and gets dragged in.

The screening will be preceded by an introduction from a spokesperson of the UNHCR Malta Country office.

Thursday, 22 June 2023, 7.30pm

Drift

Jacqueline (Cynthia Erivo), a young refugee, lands alone and penniless on a Greek island, where she tries first to survive and then to cope with her past. While gathering her strength, she begins a friendship with a rootless tour-guide (Alia Shawkat) and together they find the resilience to forge ahead.

Entrance to the screenings is free of charge, but booking is required.

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