UNHCR's step-by-step story of refugee athletes

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – The Journey

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Agency Don't Panic/London
Production Company Anonymous Content/London
Director Pantera

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Credits

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Agency Don't Panic/London
Production Company Anonymous Content/London
Director Pantera
Editor Trim
Colorist Lewis Crossfield
Composer/Sound Designer Joe Wilkinson / (Composer/Sound Designer)
Founder Joe Wade
Creative Partner Rick Dodds

Senior Project Manager & Producer Jennifer Clare Houlihan
Producer Shion Hayasaka
DP Francisco Hauser
Production Designer Muriel Rani
Editor Producer Noreen Khan
VFX Artist Adam Paterson
VFX Producer Jo Gutteridge

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Asking people to look at refugees from a new perspective is an ongoing challenge for movements associated with the issue, but, for UNHCR's new film showcasing the bravery of Refugee Olympic and Paralympic Team athletes, the angle of intent isn't the only thing that's been altered.

Framed entirely from a knee-down, foot-facing POV, The Journey tells the dramatised story of a female refugee who flees her home to escape conflict and persecution, running all the way to athletic excellence.

Working with directing collective Pantera at Anonymous Content, agency Don’t Panic ensured that authenticity and credibility were paramount to the film - attempting as accurate a portrayal of a refugee’s journey as possible by grounding it in real-life stories.

To ensure this, the entire creative team worked closely with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to collaborate with two of the IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holders to make sure the real experiences of those who have been forced to flee their homes were woven into the powerful narrative.

Rick Dodds, Creative Partner at Don’t Panic comments: “One of our biggest challenges creatively was to make an emotionally impactful film, whilst keeping the protagonist anonymous. We chose to show only her legs, as this allows our film to be representative of many refugees’ journeys. Emotion so often comes from a person’s face, their expression, the look in their eyes, the words they say and with this film, we simply had a pair of legs.

"We also quickly realised that we couldn’t have her running in every single scene as the film would only have one note. So the choreography of her movements, when she’s walking, turning, stopping, sitting, became our most vital tool to create emotion.”