Impressions of Exile
Three Chilean woman reveal their experiences of being female refugees in Britain.
This half-hour video portrait of three Chilean women offers a compelling insight into not just the difficulties of life in exile, but the additional burden of being a female refugee. All three fled their homeland in the wake of the 1973 military coup that began Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship. Offered asylum in Britain, they arrived in what they were surprised to find was a "racist country" where the "colour of your skin is quite important". Removed from the support network normally provided by an extended family, and with language tuition and job opportunities privileging the men, it was all too easy for them to feel imprisoned in this unfamiliar land.
Produced by Wide Angle Productions with funding from Greater London Arts, this film listens and helps give voice to marginalised women rarely represented in mainstream media. It makes good use of Super-8 film footage of both Britain and Chile to add flavour to the videoed interview segments, for which the filmmakers have clearly won their subjects' trust.
Refugee Week
To mark Refugee Week, BFI and Counterpoints Arts have compiled a collection of films that explore refugee experiences across continents and generations
From First World War newsreels to 21st Century online video, these works bear witness to displacement across the globe.
Refugee Week is an international festival of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contributions and diversity that refugees bring, and encourages a better understanding between communities.
12 videos in this collection
Refuge England
Refugees in Shanghai Their Life and Their Education
Aid to China
British Nurses in Serbia
A City of Chaos
Ostend in War-Time
Formosa - Island of Promise