March 7, 2017
Open Doors for Refugees to Sponsor Trio of Films on Refugees/Immigrants March 31-April 5
Madison, WI – Open Doors for Refugees, an all-volunteer group formed to help refugees make a home in the Madison area, is sponsoring three films describing refugee and immigrant experiences. Two films are being shown within the Wisconsin Film Festival – Stranger in Paradise and Abacus: Small Enough to Jail. The third is a special benefit screening of the award-winning documentary, Fire at Sea, on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, at 7 p.m. at the Barrymore Theatre.
Stranger in Paradise screens at the Festival Tuesday, April 4 at 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday, April 5 at 3:15 p.m., both times at Sundance Cinemas, Madison. Abacus screens Friday, March 31 at 3:45 p.m. and Saturday, April 1 at 11 a.m., both times at Sundance. Ticket information at http://wifilmfest.org
Stranger in Paradise, directed by Dutch director Guido Hendrikx, is set in a classroom where newly arrived refugees learn a lesson about European attitudes toward them. Operating at the intersection of fiction and documentary, the film candidly reflects on the power relations between Europeans and refugees. Abacus: Small Enough to Jail tells the saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York, the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
Fire at Sea, Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 7 p.m., screens at the Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave., Madison. Tickets are $15, general admission, available at the door. Advance tickets are available online and by phone (608) 241-8633. www.Barrymorelive.com To make an additional tax deductible donation to Open Doors for Refugees, go to community-stewardship.org/projects/open-doors-for-refugees/ There will be a special reception after the show for those making donations of $100.00 or more.
Fire at Sea was an Academy Award® nominee for Best Documentary Feature and the first nonfiction film to ever win the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film takes place in Lampedusa, a remote Mediterranean island that has become a major entry point for refugees into Europe. Award-winning filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi masterfully jolts the audience into a new understanding of what is happening in the region, the heavy toll of the migrant crisis, and the price of freedom.
Formed in February 2016, Open Doors for Refugees is a non faith-based community group that came together to help refugees settling in the greater Madison area find a home here. Working with the two resettlement agencies, Lutheran Social Services and Jewish Social Services, the group has collected donations of furniture and household items, and used them to set up apartments for incoming refugees. Organized into teams, Open Doors for Refugees members also provide interpretation, transportation, cultural orientation, ESL, and help find employment and housing for refugees. With the current restrictions on refugee arrivals, Open Doors for Refugees is focusing its efforts on addressing the long term needs of refugees already in Madison and on advocacy for a strongly welcoming and safe community through several large scale public events. These include a Community Picnic in May and a benefit concert in July.