JOLYON HOFF, MUZAFAR ALI | AUSTRALIA | 2025 | 1'30"

We Are Not Powerless tells the remarkable story of a group of refugees in Indonesia who, confronted with limited access to education and an uncertain future, come together to build a school for their children. Led by Muzafar Ali and his wife Nagina, who fled Afghanistan in 2012, the project begins with a $200 donation and a modest two-room classroom, and grows into a vital community hub.

Filmed over several years, the documentary traces the evolution of this refugee-led initiative as it expands in ambition and impact, serving more than 1,300 students and 130 refugee teachers. Beyond meeting an immediate need, the school becomes a powerful expression of resilience, ingenuity and collective action. In reclaiming a sense of purpose within restrictive conditions, the community challenges the systems that confine them, offering a perspective on displacement grounded not in victimhood, but in agency, solidarity and the power of communities to create change for themselves.

Stay afterwards for a Q&A with directors MUZAFAR ALI and Nagina Zahra

Contact the host of We Are Not Powerless + Q&A

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