A rotoscoped reminder of refugee suffering

They are the largest stateless group in the world, and when the ethnic Muslim Rohingya people were driven from their homes in Myanmar in 2017 their story was widely reported. But now the headlines have moved on.

Wanting to highlight the enduring suffering of these people, who have endured decades of violence and discrimination and are now displaced to a sprawling camp in Bangladesh, MSF commissioned Presence studio artist Richard Swarbrick to create the film Give Me Hope.

Rotoscoping over dramatic footage of them fleeing genocide in Myanmar, the film also homes in on individual stories of suffering. The emotional immediacy of the visuals is driven by the song Give Me Hope, from UK band Three Laws. 

“During the making of the film I learned a lot about the situation,” says Swarbrick. “There's a kind of hopelessness and there isn't any immediate light at the end of the tunnel. I also learned the scale of the crisis is almost incomprehensible. The fact that the [Kutupalong-Balukhali] refugee camp is so big that you are able to see it from space just blows my mind.” 

Swarbrick explains more about his choice of rotoscoping and his process here...