The inaugural WNY Refugee Film Festival is set to take place, starting in September 2018. The initial festival will be titled “Our Humanity Is Not A Debate” – the films serve a purpose to entertain, educate, and enlighten viewers. The films will be screened at the Tri-Main Center (2495 Main St., Suite 530) from September 2018 through June 2019. Altogether, the festival will feature nine films focusing on the lives of refugees – the heartaches, the triumphs, and the lessons that we can all learn along the way. Along with the screenings, there will be guest speakers, a VIP reception, door prizes, and a Grand Finale with three screenings the weekend of June 8, 2019.
This is an opportune time to launch a film festival dedicated to the lives of refugees. The refugee population has had an incredibly beneficial impact on the city of Buffalo, as can be seen with the revitalization of the West Side.
According to Journey’s End Executive Director Karen Andolina Scott, “We know that connecting with one another through our shared humanity is essential to understanding why refugee resettlement is vital to our collective prosperity. WNYRFF will allow audiences an empathetic glimpse into refugees’ struggles, hopes, and triumphs.”
“Film and art are the ways for us to begin imagining a world that works for us all,” concurs Producer Yan Digilov of the festival’s opening film, We Are In It, and Lessons in Seeing, and who will be co-leading the community conversation on September 15. “For that reason, we cherish any opportunity to bring our communities together and share common visions. It is a necessary first step towards making positive change.”
A highlight of the festival will be a special screening on Saturday, September 15 of “Lessons in Seeing,” followed by a community conversation on the fate of the U.S. refugee resettlement program, led by director Dr. Yehuda Sharim of Rice University, along with other special guests. All proceeds from WNYRFF will benefit the programs of Journey’s End that serve the refugee community in Western New York.
For a complete schedule, to view trailers, to purchase film festival packages, and more details on the films to be screened as part of the WNY Refugee Film Festival, visit: wnyrff.org.
WNY Refugee Film Festival: “Our Humanity Is Not A Debate”
Journey’s End Rufgee Services
Sept. 13 2018 thru June 8, 2019
2495 Main Street, Suite 530 in the Tri-Main Center
To Benefit the Programs of Journey’s End