World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. Help us celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.
We will have a screening of Director Emma Kawawada’s “My Small World”, a coming-of-age story exploring the tragic realities of Kurdish refugees. The film follows Sarya, a 17-year-old, who came to Japan from Turkey with her Kurdish refugee parents when she was five years old. Now a high-school senior, she is thinking of moving on to university, but is conflicted over her obligations to her family.
Although she has friends at school, Sarya doesn’t speak candidly about her situation or her background. She finally finds a confidante in Sota (Daiken Okudaira) and is able to open up about her struggles. When her family’s application for refugee status is rejected, their situation becomes extremely precarious.
