On June 28th, Open Door Productions LLC will present the broadcast premiere of UNSETTLED: Seeking Refuge in America, a compelling documentary revealing the untold stories of LGBTQ refugees and asylum-seekers produced and directed by Tom Shepard and co-produced by Jen Gilomen. Also announced, UNSETTLED will lead Doc World’s new season which broadcasts on public media’s WORLD Channel starting June 28th through July 12th and will be available for streaming on WorldChannel.org.
UNSETTLED: Seeking Refuge in America brings to life the names, faces, and tumultuous backstories of LGBTQ individuals forced to flee intense persecution in their home countries:
Subhi, a gay Syrian refugee who, having survived multiple death threats from Islamic terrorists, beatings by a violent and homophobic father, and a nation devastated by years of war, finds his voice as a leader for refugee rights in the U.S. Along the way he meets then Ambassador Samantha Power and is invited to be the first gay man ever to testify before the U.N. Security Council.
Cheyenne and Mari, a lesbian couple from Angola who, having faced brutal harassment from family and neighbors, seek uncertain asylum through the American immigration courts while pursuing their dreams of becoming musicians. Junior, a gender non-conforming gay man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo struggles intensely to find basic housing and livelihood while exploring a more fluid gender identity.
As the U.S. has increasingly closed its borders, these vulnerable refugees struggle to find safety and new homes on our shores. Landing in gay-friendly San Francisco and girded with a new hope (aided by advocates, church volunteers and Jewish Family and Community Services, as well as ordinary citizens), their challenges only begin to multiply: finding new homes, new jobs and new identities in the country’s most cost-prohibitive region forces these new immigrants to dig deep just in order to survive.
UNSETTLED had its World Premiere at the San Francisco International Film Festival, is the winner of the Best Documentary Feature Film at 2019 Outfest, and played at 55 festivals worldwide – winning 14 other top awards.
UNSETTLED: Seeking Refuge in America, a documentary film by Tom Shepard, is 81 minutes long and languages within the film include English, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic with English subtitles.
Official website: http://www.unsettled.film
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Source: UNSETTLED: Seeking Refuge in America
