Inspired by UNHCR ambassador Cate Blanchett’s ‘Films of Hope’, the Immigration Museum has partnered with SBS On Demand to present a curated selection of films for Refugee Week 2020 to stream online for free.
Join us from the comfort of your couch for a week of insightful films - paired with moving stories from refugees in Museums Victoria’s collection.
In presenting some of the powerful lived experiences in the collection alongside films that highlight the resilience and hope of refugees, we hope to promote understanding of issues facing refugees worldwide.
Capernaum (Capharnaüm)
Lebanon, 2018Genre: DramaLanguage: ArabicDirector: Nadine LabakiStarring: Zain Al Rafeea, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Yordanos ShiferawWhat’s it about?Twelve-year-old Zain (played by Zain Al Rafeea, who ) commits a violent crime after running away from his neglectful parents. While in jail, he decides to sue them for bringing him into the world.
Few films spark such rapturous reverence as this Lebanese film, which won the Jury prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for an Oscar.
Watch Capernaum now at SBS On Demand:
Read more about Capernaum
Nadine Labaki, on how 'Capernaum' has changed her life
The Other Side Of Hope
Finland, 2017Genre: ComedyLanguage: FinnishDirector: Aki KaurismakiStarring: Ville Virtanen, Kati Outinen, Tommi EronenWhat’s it about?Bringing together two men from very different worlds – the displaced Khaled, a stowaway refugee from Syria, and local middle-aged salesman Wikström, who’s bought a flailing seafood restaurant – this bittersweet comedy follows each as they seek a new place to call home. When Khaled is denied asylum, his path crosses fortuitously with Wikström’s.
Watch The Other Side of Hope now at SBS On Demand:
Styx
Germany, 2018Genre: DramaLanguage: German,EnglishDirector: Wolfgang FischerStarring: Susanne Wolff, Alexander Beyer, Gedion Oduor WekesaWhat’s it about?Chasing ‘wild, untouched nature’ successful emergency doctor Rike (Susanne Wolff) eagerly embarks on a solo sailing trip in the Atlantic. But her dream holiday takes a sharp turn when, after a storm, she discovers a stricken fishing boat. Onboard are around a hundred refugees in dire straits. When Rike’s calls for help fall on deaf ears, she’s forced to make a fatal decision.
Watch Styx now at SBS On Demand:
All Three Of Us
France, 2015Genre: ComedyLanguage: FrenchDirector: Kheiron TabibStarring: Kheiron Tabib, Leila Bekhti, Gérard DarmonWhat’s it about?Born in Iran and raised in a rough Parisian suburb, this is stand-up comedian Kheiron’s first feature film. It follows the story of his parents (Kheiron plays his dad in the film), eternal optimists Hibat and Fereshteh, the young family’s flight from Iran in the aftermath of the revolution, and their winding journey to a new life in France. This family dramedy is deftly told through humour that doesn’t diminish the torturous turns life took for Hibat in Iran.
Watch All Three of Us now at SBS On Demand. Hurry! All Three of Us leaves SBS On Demand on 3 July:
Dheepan
France, 2015Genre: DramaLanguage: FrenchDirector: Jacques AudiardStarring: Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Kalieaswari SrinivasanWhat’s it about?Thrown together through desperation to leave Sri Lanka’s civil war, a Tamil soldier and a woman and her child enter France posing as a family. However, violent struggles on the streets of Paris disturb the peace they’re longing for in their new home. Awarded the Palme d’Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and from the acclaimed director of A Prophet, Dheepan is both a tour-de-force thriller and a powerful depiction of the immigrant experience.
Watch Dheepan now at SBS On Demand:
Samba
France, 2014Genre: DramaLanguage: FrenchDirector: Eric ToledanoStarring: Omar Sy, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tahar RahimWhat’s it about?When a bureaucratic slip-up lands him in detention awaiting deportation, Samba Cissé, a Senegalese national living in France, crosses paths with Alice, who’s doing volunteer work in an effort to revitalise her life. As the unlikely pair keep being thrown together, it occurs to them they’ve a lot more to offer each other than they may’ve anticipated. With its warmth and humour, it’ll come as no surprise that Samba is from the creators of The Intouchables, also starring Omar Sy.
Watch Samba now at SBS On Demand:
Mediterranea
Italy, 2015Genre: DramaLanguage: FrenchDirector: Jonas CarpignanoStarring: Alassane Sy, Koudous Seihon, Pio AmatoWhat’s it about?After an exceedingly arduous journey from Burkina Faso across the seas to Italy, Ayiva and Abas have three months to find work which they hope will allow them to stay. Filmed in a documentary style, writer/director Jonas Carpignano depicts the two men’s consistent struggles, bringing forth the reality of life as a refugee. With underlying hostility that escalates to violence between the tent community of refugees, troublemaking local men and police, there’s plenty to continue to challenge Ayiva and Abas.
Watch Mediterranea now at SBS On Demand:
Buoyancy
Australia, 2019Genre: DramaLanguage: ThaiDirector: Rodd RathjenStarring: Ros Mony, Sarm Heng, Thanawut KasroWhat’s it about?When 14-year-old Chakra follows his yearning for independence and a better life away from Cambodia’s rice fields and onto Thailand with the promise of factory work, little does he realise the horrors in store. With his new friend Kea, and other Cambodians and Burmese, Chakra has been tricked, and is promptly sold as a slave.
Buoyancy is the first film from writer/director Rodd Rathjen and is inspired by the real-life plight of workers sold into Southeast Asia’s fishing industry. Though the film is not overtly about a refugee experience, the issue of trafficking is closely linked to forced migration, smuggling and refugee displacement. Buoyancy was Australia’s entry in the 92nd Academy Awards’ International Feature Film category and was awarded the Panorama Prize by Berlinale’s Ecumenical Jury last year.
Watch Buoyancy now at SBS On Demand:
Foreign Body
France, 2016Genre: DramaLanguage: FrenchDirector: Raja AmariStarring: Hiam Abbass, Salim Kechiouche, Sarra HannachiWhat’s it about?After informing on her radical Islamist brother, Samia flees Tunisia in fear of retribution, and turns up on friend Imed’s doorstep in Paris. He encourages her to blend in as best she can, and when she lands a job as the personal assistant to wealthy widow Madame Bertaud, things look up. But Samia’s new life is complicated by the burgeoning sexual desire of Madame Bertaud for her young charge, awakening Imed’s own passion, in conflict with his religious beliefs. From writer/director Raja Amari.
Watch Foreign Body now at SBS On Demand. Hurry! Foreign Body leaves SBS On Demand on 3 July:
