UNHCR calls for Hope Away From Home

An evocative new campaign film, created by &Co. Copenhagen, for UNHCR [United Nations Refugee Agency] encourages world leaders are to uphold the fundamental right of individuals to seek safety from war, violence and persecution.

Directed by Marcus Ibanez through New Land, the 100-second spot highlights that in some parts of the world an increasing number of people who are forced to flee their homes are being denied the right to seek safety, with many facing dangerous journeys, pushback at borders, or who are left in legal limbo, sometimes for years, as they search for safety. 

The film calls for more solidarity with people forced to flee, and firmer commitments from states to honour their moral and legal obligations towards people seeking safety from war, violence and persecution. It tells the story of three people, from different parts of the world, whose lives are suddenly turned upside down by war, violence or persecution. They are physically and dramatically uprooted from their homes and countries in situations, and by forces outside their control.

Called Hope Away From Home, the film is narrated by Nomzamo Mbatha, a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, South African actress and human rights activist. Hope Away From Home is inspired by the harrowing plight of refugees across the globe. “The need for global solidarity with people fleeing the dangers of war, violence and persecution has never been greater," said Dominique Isabelle Hyde, UNHCR’s Director of External Relations. "With this campaign we are calling on all parts of society; states, international organisations, civil society and the public to do the right thing, to take a stand against injustice and to take action to help protect the fundamental right to seek safety for  everyone without discrimination.” 

“When it comes to a problem of this magnitude, many choose to look the other way," added Robert Cerkez, Executive Creative Director at &Co. "Not because we don’t care, but because we are overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness and apathy. It has been our creative ambition to turn that indifference into empathy as well as concrete actions through a feeling of human relatability.”