Mission
Submission
Films
Schedule
Tickets
Map
Special Screenings
Sponsors
Traveling Festival
Support
Volunteers
Press
Links
Awards
Contact
Home
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
(80 minutes) Sierra Leone/USA
Directors/Producers: Zach Niles and Banker White
Description:
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars are a band of six Sierra Leonean musicians who have been living as refugees in the West African nation of the Republic of Guinea. A brutal civil war (1991-2002) forced them from their homes in Sierra Leone. Many of their family and friends were murdered in the violence, leaving them with physical and emotional scars that may never heal. Despite the unimaginable horrors of civil war, they were saved through their music. Through music, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars have found refuge, purpose, and a source of power by giving a voice to the experiences of so many struggling to survive. Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars is a character driven film that chronicles the band over three years, from Guinean refugee camps back to war-ravaged Sierra Leone. Amidst the tragedies of their incredible losses, the band triumphs by realizing the dream of recording their first studio album. Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars reveals unique and inspiring personal stories of survival and rebirth through the universal language of music. As violent conflicts multiply around the globe and the worldwide refugee crisis deepens, this film is a humanizing tribute to all the innocent survivors of war whose brutal realities are often dismissed by surface mass media sound bytes.
Biography:
Zach Niles comes from a music industry background and has been fortunate to be a part of the production and promotion of some of the largest rock-n-roll tours (The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Simon and Garfunkel). This is his first film.
Banker White is a multi-disciplinary artist who has written and directed
many short films including I am Your Appetite, which was featured
on San Franciscoís KRON 4 show Bay Area Backroads. This
is Banker's documentary feature film debut.
Contact Information:
Zach Niles & Banker White
SodaSoap Productions
159 Chenery Street
San Francisco, CA 94131
www.refugeeallstars.org
©2006 United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF)
FILMS
America's Brutal Prisons
Are the Kids Alright?
Baghdad ER
Between Two Stones: Nepal's Decade of Conflict
Beyond Iraq
Beyond the Call
The Blood of Yingzhou District
Blowing Up Paradise
Busting Out
Bystander
Epitaph
In the Tall Grass
Independent Intervention
Interview with an Executioner
La Sierra
Lessons in Fear
Lima's Streets
Malaria: Killer Number One
The Man Who Saved a Million Brains
The Peacekeepers
Pilgrimage
Rights on the Line: Vigilantes at the Border
Rosita
The Shape of Water
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
Small Town Gay Bar
They Chose China
Thin
The Tribe
True Whispers
The Tsunami Generation