Nearest Neighbours is screening at the Global Impact Film Festival (GIFF) in the film block DISPLACEMENT.

The Festival took place live (online) from August 6 – 9, 2020, however, the films are still available to watch!

You can purchase a ticket through August 31, to view all of the films and the Q+A sessions.

It is an honour to participate in GIFF, a festival bringing together filmmakers, change makers and activists, all contributing to dialogue and awareness on pressing, contemporary issues. We would also like to thank the festival for the acknowledgement via its nomination of Nearest Neighbours for BEST DIRECTOR.

ABOUT THE FILM

Since 2015, at least 16,000 Venezuelans are confirmed to have fled to Trinidad and Tobago. The twin island republic is of one of the most economically viable options for asylum-seekers, yet many are unaware of the reality that is to welcome them. Nearest Neighbours explores how refugees and asylum-seekers navigate their environments daily and work to move their lives forward amidst many unexpected challenges, including rampant xenophobia and a lack of legal rights due to the absence of local refugee legislation. 

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Vulnerability has varying degrees and dimensions and can look as different as refugee camps, to some of the scenarios depicted in Nearest Neighbours. And although the Government registration process in June 2019 provided relief through one-year work permit exemptions, refugees and asylum-seekers are still highly vulnerable, with their children falling through the gaps of the education system, and themselves being denied access to the other basic necessities outlined under the Convention (1951 Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees), as well as facing detention under the existing immigration law. In a world where innocent people suffer the consequences of socio-political and economic fallouts, where do our responsibilities lie? This film celebrates the courage of those who have had to flee their homes to start over in a strange land. 

Visit the festival page to learn more and to watch the films: https://globalimpactfilmfestival.org/