The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will host the 7th Refugee Film Festival Bangkok 2017, which runs from tomorrow until Dec 10 at Paragon Cineplex. Admission is free, but advanced registration is required at the UNHCR Facebook page.
The highlight of the programme is tonight's opening film, Human Flow, a documentary directed by Ai Weiwei, a dissident Chinese artist known for his large-scale work and controversial aesthetics. This is Ai's first film as a director, and the shooting of Human Flow took him to 23 countries and 40 refugee camps to interview more than 600 people, and the result is a detailed exploration of the global refugee crisis, crafted with topical urgency as well as an artistic touch (the film will open as a regular programme in cinemas on Dec 21).
Two films about the Syrian war and its impact on civilians are also worth catching. Return To Homs is a tough chronicle of the battle near the city of Homs, where the clashes between rebel fighters and government forces reduce everything to ruins; After Spring is another documentary, which follows two refugee families as well as aid workers in the conflict zone.
The rest of the programme includes The Zookeeper's Wife, based on a true story in which the keepers of a Warsaw zoo help save hundreds of people and animals during World War II (starring Jessica Chastain and Daniel Bruhl); Refugee: The Eritrean Exodus, which follows a migration path of Eritrean refugees from Ethiopia to Israel; and Cast From A Storm, a story of teenagers who share past experiences in a theatre programme.
See full schedule and reserve seats at Facebook: 7th Refugee Film Festival Bangkok.
