Now on its 17th year, FilmAid Kenya Film Festival is held annually and strives to fulfill FilmAid’s vision to Inform.Engage. Inspire. refugees and their host communities in Kenya.
From stories that Inform about the impact of climate change to personal stories that Engage in addressing those barriers that hold us back, to stories that Inspire action in the resilience of the human spirit in the adversities we face, the narratives from the film festival will be a celebration of stories, voices, and cultures from the communities we serve, from refugees in Kakuma Refugee Camp & the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, to Dadaab Refugee Camp.
The key aim(s) of the FilmAid Kenya 17th Film Festival is to;
Share Refugee stories. This year’s festival will continue to showcase stories that Inform, Engage, and Inspire communities, to tell their own stories in their own voice. The stories, through their eyes, will bring a greater understanding on the impact of those social conditions through the uplifting voices of their storytelling and creative works.
These stories will de-mystify and shape narratives about refugees. As stories are the catalyst for change as any one person’s story can change the way we think — and in changing the way enough people think, it can change our world! The students will share with you stories on inclusion: refugees enrich the cultural fabric of communities that host them in order to build greater social-economic inclusion and peaceful co-existence
Submissions from independent filmmakers worldwide will be screened in the festival, from Kenyan and global films that speak to the theme and that are related to refugees and migration, providing an opportunity to share stories with refugees in the Kenyan camps, allowing for shared artistic communication.
The festival also provides much needed linkages between the students of the program to national and global artists, enhancing their skills, exposure, and opportunities of future collaboration.
Provide platform for dialogue on refugee rights and other matters on refugee protection with Kenyan and International communities promoting understanding and creating and enhancing protection space in Kenya. The dialogues will build and enhance awareness on causation of migration: ‘push’ factors that lead to migration e.g. climate and the environment (nexus of climate, environment, drought and famine) and socio-economic reasons (nexus of poverty and work; socio-cultural barriers) and conflict.
