During its inaugural 7 day-long film festival entitled "Leave No One Behind", WHO Turkey showcased 6 documentaries and 1 fictional film, which focused on the lives of refugees and migrants forced to leave one country and set up home in another.
During the free-of-charge, online event, audiences were taken on a journey to witness the excruciating stages of migration and the difficulties faced in integrating into new societies. The aim was to bring attention to this year’s health theme, “Building a fairer, healthier world for everyone”, and to celebrate 2021, the Year of the Health and Care Worker.
Dr Kanuni Keklik, head of the Migration Department in the Turkish Directorate of Public Health, spoke of the films’ influence in portraying displaced people who are searching for protection, health and a dignified life through re-establishing a connection to the world in a new home after long years of migration. The films also show how health care services make an impact on the health of migrants.
The power of cinema
In his opening remarks for the “Leave No One Behind” film event, Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, EU Ambassador to Turkey, thanked all the health care workers for their selfless work and invited viewers to witness the experiences of displaced people through the narrative of cinema.
Alvaro Rodriguez, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkey, emphasized how documentaries and movies are drawing attention to the efforts of health care workers to ease the pain of refugees and migrants, and recognized the importance of the Health for All principle in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Dr Batyr Berdyklychev, WHO Representative in Turkey, said, “In the midst of a global pandemic, this year's theme becomes even more significant as we know very well that building a fairer, healthier world for all is possible only if we work together”.
The film event aimed to raise awareness about the health situation of refugees and migrants, with financial support from the European Union for the “Improved access to health services for Syrian refugees in Turkey” project in response to the refugee crisis in Turkey.
A place for everyone
Following on from the screenings, 7 talks, with one relevant to each film, gave the opportunity for experts in the refugee and migrant health field to meet the real-life screen heroes. This also prompted inspiring, multi-layered discussions on the narrative power of cinema and the current humanitarian crisis with officials and representatives from WHO, the European Union, and Ministry of Health.
The session for the movie “A Place To Breathe”, by Michelle Grace Steinberg, introduced Nurse Yania Escobar from the film to Dr Ramy Sheikh Muhammed from the Ankara Refugee Health Training Centre. In a talk entitled “Culturally Sensitive Health Services” Nurse Escobar explained, “As refugees and migrants, we are as diverse as anyone else. There are so many different stories and so many different health services needed. If we only support each other to become who we want to become for our community, then there really is a place for everyone”.
Dr Sheikh Muhammed responded by saying, "As refugees and migrants ourselves, we understand the people we're providing services for. We are happy to provide good role models for the community because now there are kids who look up to us and say, ‘we would like to be physicians and provide services and help’”.
All the inspiring talks are available on the WHO Turkey YouTube channel.
The 7 selected films included the following:
- “A Place to Breathe”, directed by Michelle Grace Steinberg, explores access to culturally sensitive health services for refugees from various cultures. A talk on “Culturally Sensitive Health Services” included the director and the nurse from the documentary.
- Winner of the Amnesty Award at the Berlin Film Festival, Karim Aïnouz’s “Central Airport THF” inspired a talk session entitled “A Fairer and Healthier World” attended by the protagonist İbrahim Al-Hussein.
- Wolfgang Fischer’s “Styx”, with the award-winning actress Susanne Wolff portraying an emergency doctor who is forced to make life and death decisions after she encounters a sinking boat filled with refugees out at sea, inspired a talk entitled “Leave No One Behind”.
- Dea Gjinovci’s “Wake Up on Mars”, which had its Turkish premiere during the film event, was followed by the related talk “Health Is a Fundamental Human Right”. One of the viewers of the film, a university student named Ayşe Nazlı Kalınyazgan, commented, "The movie’s portrayal of the family makes the audience question how hard and unfair life is for some people, as they constantly need to strive in order to stay safe and, alive".
- Ala’a Mohsen’s “A New Beginning”, following the story of an injured Syrian father and his son’s journey from war-torn Syria to safety and well-being in Norway, inspired the talk session “Starting Over” with the director’s participation. Viewer Mustafa Mert Yağcı explained how his perception of the current humanitarian crisis changed after he watched the film, "I decided to learn more about the difficulties of being a refugee, because the documentary taught me things I could not previously imagine”.
- Caroline Reucker’s “Amal”, about the migration of a Syrian family, whose son is in need of quality health care, was followed by the talk “Health for All”.
- Multiple award winner “Island of Hungary Ghosts”, by director Gabrielle Brady, inspired the talk session “Mental Health and Psychosocial Support” with Brady’s participation. Alp Tunca, a university student from Ankara, expressed how he was moved after watching the movie, "Every single one of the real-life stories told by the immigrants was heart-breaking. The unconventional narrative combined with themes of trauma and grief created one of the most unforgettable documentaries I've seen in a very long time”.
Yonca Morali, Senior Project Manager from the French Development Agency, was one of the many viewers who enjoyed some of the films throughout the week, describing the ones she saw as breath-taking. She said, “I can’t thank you enough for such an excellent selection. There are so many stories that we are not aware of, even while working in the same area”.