Libby Burke Wilde's powerful portrayal of lives displaced

Beautifully directed by Libby Burke Wilde through New Land, this moving short film for Lancashire Council documents the experiences of refugees and their families as they navigate new languages, cultures, and communities. 

Through sublime cinematography and intimate interviews, the film paints an affecting portrait of seven refugees in the process of rebuilding their lives in the UK. The idea for the name of the film came from Ola, a Syrian refugee living in Lancashire, who features in the documentary which was made for Refugee Week 2023.

Each with vastly different backgrounds and stories to tell, they collectively speak of feelings of loss, displacement, and adjustment. Yet, woven amid the sadness and isolation is a quiet relief for their newfound safety, and a glimmer of hope for the next generation. 

“US is about informing the people of Lancashire and beyond what it means to be a refugee living in the UK,” explained Wilde. “What it feels like to have to leave your home, your friends, your family, to uproot and be placed somewhere completely alien.”