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Local filmmakers Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci embedded themselves in Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp, 7 miles from the Syrian war where 85,000 Syrians struggle to restart their lives inside the camp. They were the first filmmakers allowed by the United Nations to be given a tent and registered inside a refugee camp.
Temple said the screening at the Fairfield Museum was exactly what he and Ingrasci had hoped for when they set out to make their movie.
"To see the community come together to watch this film and hear the stories of refugees, made me proud to have grown up in Connecticut. I encourage others who are interested to come to our website, www.SalamNeighbor.org, and bring the film to their school, church or community,” he said.
Mike Jehle, executive director of the Fairfield Museum said the nonprofit organization was honored to be able to host this event.
“The Fairfield Museum serves as an important center for community learning, where we come together to better understand our shared history and discuss the issues that define our future,” he said.
Panel speakers were Temple, the film’s director, Jack Leslie, chairman of Weber Shandwick and former chairman of USA for UNHCR—the UN Refugee Agency and Claudia Connor, president and CEO of International Institute of Connecticut Inc.
“The screening of ‘Salam Neighbor’ was an exceptional opportunity for our local communities to gain a deeper understanding of the circumstances and context in which millions of refugees live." Jehle said. "At IICONN, most of the refugees we resettle have lived for years, or decades, in refugee camps. Learning more about refugees' stories and journeys enables all of us to better understand why people flee their home countries and resettle permanently elsewhere. At IICONN, we are proud to be part of a long-standing American tradition of welcoming persecuted people to our country and ensuring a peaceful and safe place for them to start their lives anew.”
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