São Paulo – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced this Tuesday (3) that it will hold a film festival named “Viewpoints on Asylum” starting next Thursday (June 1st) featuring productions previously unseen in Brazil. The event will span five Brazilian capitals during June.<\/p>\n
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Films by Brazilian and international directors will be shown in Curitiba and then Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, and São Paulo. The UNHCR said the productions portray “the dilemmas, hardships and achievements of refugees around the world.” Admission is free for all showings. <\/p>\n
The 2016 documentary “Welcome to Canada” opens the festival on June 1st in Curitiba. It tells the story of a Syrian refugee in Canada who helps people in the same situation as his to rebuild their lives. <\/p>\n
The festival will also feature “Exodus: De Onde Eu Vim Não Existe Mais” (Brazil & Germany, 2016), “On the Bride’s Side” (Italy & Palestine, 2014), “Casa de Lúcia” (Brazil, 2017) and “Era o Hotel Cambridge” (Brazil, 2017). The latter film has been shown commercially. <\/p>\n
Screenings in São Paulo will include “Alles Inklusive” (Germany, 2014) and “Terraferma” (France & Italy, 2011). An exhibition of work by multimedia artist Sonia Guggisberg will also be featured.<\/p>\n
According to the UNHCR, the festival is an early celebration of the World Refugee Day, June 20. Other activities will mark the date, including seminars, exhibitions, disclosure of information on refugees, and culture and gastronomy fairs. <\/p>\n
There are approximately 10,000 refugees in Brazil, mostly from Syria, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the UNHCR.<\/p>\n
Click here for the full program and film sumaries (in Portuguese).<\/a><\/p>\n