Category: Documentary Film

Documentary Film: Foragers (2022)

Directed and produced by Jumana Manna, Foragers incorporates documentary, fiction, and archival footage to display the impact of Zionist migration to, and occupation of, Palestine. The film centers around Palestinians who risk heavy fines and imprisonment for violating Israeli foraging restrictions, and connects these stories to broader themes of alienation, community, and political economy. Both …

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Manus (2019)

This very poetic film offers an unedited insight into the hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers captivated offshore by the Australian Federal Government on Manus Island. Thanks to the starkness of its black and white shots, this multi-award-winning documentary focuses very intimately on the people, so that we can hear their stories directly.

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Exodus (2016) & Exodus: The Journey Continues (2017)

In Exodus, FRONTLINE told the epic, first-hand stories of refugees and migrants fleeing countries including Syria, Afghanistan and The Gambia, who made dangerous journeys across 26 countries in search of safety and a better life. The initial two-hour special relied on camera and smartphone footage filmed by refugees and migrants themselves — from inside a …

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The Good Postman (2016)

Directed by  Tonislav Hristov, this film follows Ivan, the local postman in a quiet Bulgarian community on the Turkish border, as he decides to run for mayor. He then campaigns to bring the aging village to life by welcoming refugees. Some in the community support Ivan, while others resist his campaign. The film highlights the …

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Article: Emilie Cheyroux, Immigrant consumption and cultural visibility in documentary films by and about Latinos (2018)

Abstract: “This article analyzes two short documentaries showed at Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (Austin, Texas) and the way they discuss the symbolic meaning as well as the implications of consumption for U.S. Latinos at the personal, social, cultural, and economic levels. Shopping to Belong (Irene Sosa, 2007) insists on the performance Latinos put on in order to …

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Documentary: Midnight Traveler

Directed by Hassan Fazili, ‘Midnight Traveler’ documents his family’s journey as they’re forced to leave Afghanistan after the Taliban put a bounty on his head. From The Guardian: “Midnight Traveler is a film not only of the Fazili family’s own words, but of their own creation – what one would record of a family trip, …

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‘Great Migration’ films highlight transformative power of African-American communities

“Yes, individuals make up communities, and individuals may lead organizations, but it’s really rooted in communities,” said Massiah. “In some ways, institutions are official ways of recognizing communities.”   A selection of four films exploring the transformative power of African American communities in Philadelphia will be touring in different libraries and recreations throughout the city, …

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Hamsa (2016)

“Hamsa is a documentary and educational platform with an audacious goal: motivate viewers to alleviate the Syrian refugee crisis. The short documentary highlights one family’s struggles after reaching Germany, and allows those watching to put a face to the global issues. Hamsa is a Syrian refugee and mother of three who migrated with her husband from …

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A New Documentary Takes us Inside Australia’s Refugee Detainment Camps

“Over the last few years, the Australian government has been leaning hard into an anti-refugee plan known as “the Pacific Solution.” Created to stop the arrival of boats filled with asylum seekers from countries like Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, the Pacific Solution is a program that reads like something out of Donald Trump’s playbook: …

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The Overnighters (2014)

A modern-day Grapes of Wrath, award-winning documentary The Overnighters is an intimate portrait of job-seekers desperately chasing the broken American Dream to the tiny oil boom town of Williston, North Dakota. With the town lacking the infrastructure to house the overflow of migrants, a local pastor starts the controversial “overnighters” program, allowing down-and-out workers a …

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Interactive learning resource: Language of Belonging (2010)

Language of Belonging is a multi-platform education resource based on the ground breaking Indigenous animation Wadu Matyidi.  Designed specifically for Primary-aged students, this diverse learning program explores Adnyamathanha language, culture, stories and traditions, encouraging students to develop their own portfolio and cultural understanding.  This is an interactive game, based on the Wadu Matyidi animation, exploring the language and …

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My American Dream, How Democracy Works Now (2010)

How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories (2010) The documentary contains multiple, in-depth portraits that are weaved together to illustrate the full-blown social movement. It offers a window into the process of social change in a democracy, into the roots of immigration’s place in our culture and national identity and into the ability of the machinery …

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Well Founded Fear (2000)

Well Founded Fear (2000) This 2000 documentary is an unprecedented inside look at the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), award-winning filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini take their cameras behind locked doors, where bureaucrats decide the fates of thousands of asylum-seekers each year. To be granted asylum, applicants must demonstrate a “well-founded fear” that their …

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