FLEE (Neon, 2021)
FLEE received a historic triple nomination for Best Documentary, Best International and Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards®.
What does the word ‘home’ mean to you?
A breakout film from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, FLEE is an outstanding, nuanced portrait of love, loss, joy, acceptance, and trauma. An Afghan refugee agrees to tell a remarkable personal narrative of persecution and escape on the condition that his identity not be revealed. Told through animation, director Jonas Poher Rasmussen shares the deeply affecting story of a young man grappling with his traumatic past in order to save his future, and in the process crafts a narrative that completely defies the typical tropes of the refugee experience
Campaign Summary
We worked closely with a coalition of US-based and worldwide humanitarian and refugee organizations to foster dialogue on the issues and themes of the film, and encourage audiences to support humanitarian organizations in their communities and around the world in their work for Afghan, LGBTQ+ refugees, and asylum seekers.
Our campaign sought to build empathy and support for Afghan refugees by amplifying their voices and celebrating their contributions through art and activism, while compelling audiences to take action in support of refugees via an action hub.
FLEE was included as a good example of refugee representation in their 2021 Media Reference Guide: Telling Authentic Immigrant Stories: A Reference Guide For The Entertainment Industry. The guide can be accessed here.
Digital & Creative Content Produced
Amplifying Voices of Afghan Artists
Sara Rahmani (Instagram Reel)- Afghan painter based in Sacramento, behind the haunting image depicting the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021
Ajmal (AJ) Subat (Instagram & Facebook) - American Afghan musician and DJ based in LA, who helped evacuate a girls’ school and artists during the fall of Kabul. He is also the co-founder of Restore Her Voice, a non-profit that seeks to empower Afghan women impacted by crisis
Roya Heydari (Instagram Reel) - Afghan photographer/photojournalist/filmmaker and influencer based in Paris, whose photographs show the reality of life in Afghanistan as it happens.
“Objects from Home” Series
This series featured a group of Afghan refugees and the cherished objects they brought on their plights from home, representing what ‘home’ personally means to them. Subjects shared their powerful stories of resilience and strength.
#With Refugees Campaign
In partnership with UNHCR, we launched the #WithRefugees campaign, led by Anadil Hossain, Principal Communications Advisor for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, to shine a light on the humanitarian emergency in Ukraine and the wider global refugee crisis.
Instagram Live: The Power of Storytelling in Humanizing the Refugee Experience
The Instagram Live Benefitting Miry’s List (Instagram) consisted of a 30-minute conversation with FLEE’s Riz Ahmed (EP) and Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Director), moderated by Azita Ghanizada (Afghan American actress + activist). Using themes from the film, the conversation centered around the power of storytelling in humanizing the refugee experience. The stigma and discrimination towards refugees continue to prevail because of the narratives we tell about them.