UNHCR Short Film Programme
DFI Cinema - Doha Film Institute
/ / N/A / 35 min / Unknown / Unknown / In / subtitles
Themes:
Description
The United Nations ‘World Refugee Day’ is a powerful reminder of the resilience, strength, and courage displayed by millions of individuals around the world. It is a day that honours the countless refugees who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, or other dire circumstances.
In partnership with UNHCR and the Museum of Islamic Arts, Doha Film Institute is proud to present a series of short films that celebrate the unwavering spirit of refugees and recognise that behind every statistic lies a unique story—an individual who dreams of safety, peace, and a brighter future.
We hope you can join us for our screenings and an exhibition showcasing hand-crafted refugee items and portraits of the displaced. Together, we can raise awareness and support those seeking refuge, ensuring that no one is left behind in their pursuit of safety, security, and a place to call home.
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Hope
Hévi and Walat, a Kurdish-Syrian refugee couple in their thirties, meet a human trafficker. They try to cross an undefined border amid an endless environment of winter with spotless but hostile whiteness. The man offers to bring the young woman with him if Walat takes another road alone. So, Hévi ends up by herself, fragile, in front of an unstable man whose intentions are little by little unveiled.
Director: Mohammad Shaikhow
France, Syria, Qatar / Kurdish / 2018 / 20 mins
Just Another Memory
Amidst the ongoing war in Yemen, torn between being “safe” and “away”, weighed down by the ever-present mental and emotional baggage that still holds you back. How does one move forward and heal? How to deal with so much suppressed pain? In this profoundly affecting documentary, we investigate these questions and explore what it feels like to be suddenly uprooted and displaced by war.
Director: Mariam Al-Dhubhani
Qatar / Arabic, English / 2018 / 14 mins
Rest In Piece
Midyan is forced to flee his war-torn home. Packing only a suitcase of his dearest possessions, he embarks on a perilous journey into the unknown. Weary and starving in a desolate wasteland, poor Midyan resorts to eating the objects he has packed. The effects are monstrous, yet they give him the strength to carry on through the scorching desert. A beautifully crafted clay animation, ‘Rest in Piece’ shows us the courage and resilience of displaced peoples.
Director: Antoine Antabi
Germany, France, Qatar / No Dialogue / 2021 / 10 mins