UNHCR highlight creativity and courage

YouTube and UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has released three new films that showcases the creativity and courage of refugees from three different regions of the world. 

Created and produced by Uncommon Creative Studio in association with Lief, and released last week on World Refugee Day, the short film series, called We Were Here, seeks to challenge stereotypes and perceptions about refugees by connecting them with some of YouTube’s most influential content creators who have a shared interests in music, growing food and building toys.

The team behind the project include renowned director Alma Har’el, who oversaw the series as executive producer, and Oscar-nominated director Laura Checkoway who was on board as both series director and the author of one episode. The other two episodes were directed by the internationally acclaimed Jordanian director Mahmoud Al Massad, and British-Ghanaian Curtis Essel, while the films' scores have been overseen by highly awarded music supervisor Bridget Samuels. 

The displacement crisis has seen the total number of people forcibly displaced across the globe exceed 108.4 million for the first time and, with such a number, it can be too easy to lose sight of the individuals affected by this crisis. The We Were Here series aims to give people an opportunity to identify with individuals and show that they too have hopes and dreams, like anyone else, and that being able to do what matters most to them has the power to impact the world.

In The Musicians, chart-topping DJ and Producer Jax Jones meets displaced Ukrainian-Ethiopian sisters Betty, Siona and Miriam in a village just outside Stuttgart. The sisters form hip-hop trio Fo Sho and, after restarting their lives in Germany, are overcoming creative and personal struggles while discovering the healing power of sisterhood and music. 

In The Toymaker, at the Azraq refugee camp in the middle of the Jordanian desert, YouTube inventor Simone Giertz meets Mohammad Waheed, a grandfather, retired construction worker and Syrian refugee who is also known as the camp’s toymaker. Together they set out to build a toy helicopter that they hope will fly, along the way overcoming creative and cultural differences to form a deep connection. 

The Permaculturalist, a poignant film about self-sufficiency, growth, community and connection, spans Wales, Uganda and Germany as vegan chef, permaculture enthusiast and YouTuber Gaz Oakley meets permaculture expert Bemeriki Dusabe, a Congolese refugee who has been living in a settlement in Uganda for the last 16 years, where he has set up a foundation teaching others how to grow their food.

“The power of these films is the message it shares — one of solidarity — focussing on what unites us rather than sets us apart," said Charlie Gatsky Sinclair, Chief Production Officer at Uncommon. "These stories are beautifully woven together and brought to life by our incredible partners — crafting each moving story with delicate care and consideration. This project was an incredibly important one for Uncommon to produce and share with the world. We can’t wait for you to see them.”