The Resettled
The dramatic stories of refugees who have resettled in the USA, and the challenges they continue to face daily.
Interview with Director Alan Thompson
Main photo: Munyakazi in his home in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
As the foundation I work for, Tzu Chi, has done work overseas for refugees in places like Jordan, my Producer and I asked ourselves what the situation was like in the United States, where refugees are said to be given the "golden pass." We wanted to explore if this really was the case, or if they still had struggles in their lives and how they were received within the communities they moved into.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The Resettled provides access to people from various backgrounds and from different parts of the world, from Vietnam to Burma to Congo to Iraq, and it shows how familiar humans are from different backgrounds and shows you lives you normally wouldn't have the opportunity to know about or see.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Themes of struggle and perseverance are very apparent in The Resettled as the film presents an uphill battle for newly resettled refugees into a new land that isn't necessarily always welcoming.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
As this is a doc, there wasn't a clear script heading into the production, but the initial ideas for the doc changed drastically. For example, I had heard of Munyakazi's story (from Congo) living in Twin Falls as a cow farmer. I had this image of a tall African man seemingly out of place in Idaho, but right at home with cattle as he was a rancher back in Congo. The image was very strong in my mind, but when we arrived, I had heard that he was fired from his job for requiring off on the Sabbath, something he held above any capitalistic ideals. So, instead, we had to adjust and made the story instead about how he lost his job simply for wanting to acknowledge his faith. Luckily, there was also the town hall meeting going on at the same time, so that became another big part of our story in Twin Falls.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
So far, everyone is very welcoming to the film. It presents stories audiences normally don't see or have access to, and it shows these refugee stories as people who are very hospitable and want to integrate into the community, and for many people it makes them more willing to do so within their towns.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It has surprised me how accepting people have been, especially for screening in smaller towns like Savannah and Missoula. The challenges in feedback have mainly been from the internet, people who don't express anything in person but simply want to stir something for the sake of doing so. I still like to hear and enjoy that because we are a democracy and if someone has a genuine problem, it should be thought about and discussed, but it usually doesn't get far.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Hopefully giving the film more exposure so that more people can become interested in refugees and, if they're moved to do something, to donate or volunteer to non-profits that are actively helping refugees.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
More film festivals would be nice, especially for exposure in bigger and smaller cities. More journalists to cover the subject and/or film, plus a distributor would also be nice to have.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like this to be the beginning of a longer conversation about refugees. This film is a time capsule of a certain moment in history, but policies are always changing and so are peoples hearts. Hopefully, this will serve as a source of inspiration if things get much worse, or provides the building blocks for making policies better in the future.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Should refugees be resettled into the United States? Why?
Would you like to add anything else?
I recently did a followup story on the family that just arrives from Iraq at the end of the film to celebrate their one-year anniversary of being in the US. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsODjvUjLXM&
It's an addendum to The Resettled, but the film still stands on its own.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We're always working on new humanitarian and environmental issues at Tzu Chi. One project I'm developing now is about pipelines and oil in the United States and how we as a nation-- black, white, latino, native American, Asian, etc. -- need to be aware of the global impact of crude oil and its transportation to big and small cities around the country.
Interview: March 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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The Resettled
The dramatic stories of refugees who have resettled in the USA, and the challenges they continue to face daily.
Length: 30min.
Director: Alan Thompson
Producer: Ting Fan
Writer: Alan Thompson, Ida Zielinska
About the writer, director and producer:
lan Thompson- Documentary director/producer/editor with an interest in telling human stories around the world.
Ting Fan- Documentary producer at Tzu Chi Foundation with a keen sense of telling important and relevant stories from around the world.
Key cast:
asem Al-Khalidi, Zaw Phan, Zeze Rwasama, Munyakazi, Fidel Nshombo, George Tarr, Odai Alaameri.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Journalists, film festival directors, programmers.
Funders: Tzu Chi Foundation
Made in association with: Tzu Chi Foundation
Where can I see it in the next month? Online! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijZNp2UMeBI&