UN refugee agency holds film festival in Beijing

A film festival focused on the plight of refugees around the world was held in Beijing this week by the United Nations, reports thepaper.cn.

The three-day charity event, hosted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regional office in China, began on June 20 in commemoration of World Refugee Day.

Sivanka Dhanapala, the UNHCR Representative to China, poses for a photo on the first day of the UNHCR film festival in Beijing on Thursday, June 20, 2019. [Photo: Weibo account of the UNHCR]

By the end of last year, more than 70 million people were forced to leave their homes worldwide for reasons including wars and conflicts, said Sivanka Dhanapala, the UNHCR Representative to China. Dhanapala said the film festival sought to highlight the resilience and courage of people who need to rebuild their lives in a new place.

Three films were included in the event, namely "Kakuma My City", "The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe", and "Capernaum".

The refugee film "Kakuma My City" is screened on the first day of the UNHCR film festival in Beijing on Thursday, June 20, 2019. [Photo: Weibo account of the UNHCR]

The event also marks 40 years of cooperation between China and the UNHCR. The Office of the UNHCR Chief of Mission opened in Beijing in 1979. Dhanapala shared the agency's appreciation for the assistance China's government has given to the agency's projects.

The UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving the lives of refugees, protecting their rights, and building a better future for people who are stateless or have been forcibly displaced.