We Are Not Powerless tells the story of what happens when people refuse to give up on each other.

Ten years ago Australia ‘stopped the boats’. At the same time a small group of refugees in Indonesia received a $200 donation and started a two-room school. Husband and wife, Muzafar Ali and Nagina Zahra were co-founders of that first school before being resettled in Adelaide in 2015. Since then the schools in Indonesia have grown. There are now over 1300 refugee students and 130 refugee teachers.

They started with a few notebooks and pens and against the advice of the UNHCR. Now the students are obtaining school leaving certificates and entering universities around the world. Alumni from the schools have spoken at the United Nations and become doctors, teachers and lawyers, and they are returning to support the schools in Indonesia, where many went to school for the first time in their lives.

This incredible story places a small refugee community at the centre of some of the biggest and most important geopolitical and immigration debates in the world.

This powerful, emotional and decades-long narrative, anchored by Muzafar and Nagina’s love story, takes the audience inside the life of a refugee in a way that has never been captured before. It highlights the effects of Australia and the world’s approach to refugees and proves that love, connection and community can change the world.

“By telling their stories, this is how we change the world.” Muzafar Ali

The screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the Directors - Muzafar Ali and Jolyon Hoff

The Directors
Muzafar and Jolyon have been friends and colleagues for over ten years and met while Muzafar was living as a refugee in Indonesia. Together they support refugee-led education and use their friendship to educate each other about their different experiences. This exchange informs their films, art and exhibitions as they bring their communities closer together. We Are Not Powerless is their third feature documentary together and will again unite the refugee and non-refugee communities around a remarkable story of resilience, hope, and connection.

Director’s Statement
Through this film we want to humanise an intensely complicated global geo-political story, and bring the voice of refugees into the cinema. Reflecting ten years of footage – over which time a student becomes a teacher, or a teacher becomes an international advocate – the film illustrates how a small act of defiance grew around the world and proved that there are alternative solutions to the global migration crisis. We are excited and honoured to be able to invite Australian and global audiences inside this hidden world.

INFO

Date/Time: Friday 10 July, 2 screenings at 2:00pm and 7:00pm

Duration: 94 min

Tickets: $15 (plus booking fees)

Bistro opening hours - Lunch 11:30am to 2:00pm and Dinner: 5:30pm to 8:00pm (bookings recommended)

Contact the host of We Are Not Powerless