The current refugee crisis is single largest humanitarian disaster in modern times. Not since the Second World War has there been such a need for compassion and help of those affected by war. This year the 8×8 Film Festival, a collaborative project organised by Suas Trinity, DU Amnesty and Trinity Global Development Society, focuses on this crisis. The four-day event consists of film screenings and documentaries, outdoor photography exhibitions, workshops, pop-up events and high-profile guest speakers, with the aim of spreading awareness about the crisis and humanising asylum seekers.
While 8×8 is an annual photography and film festival in Trinity, this year’s focus is firmly on refugees. Speaking to The University Times, Rebecca O’Byrne, Refugee Awareness Coordinator for Suas Trinity, who has coordinated the week, explained that she was motivated by the attitudes she was seeing from her peers, particularly a status posted online by an old schoolmate who, in the wake of the attacks in Brussels, questioned those who believed that Islam was a religion of peace: “I think it struck me that other young Irish well-educated people, our peers, really feel like that, that Islam is not a religion of peace.”
“That breeds so much distrust and so much suspicion towards these Muslim refugees that are looking for a home in Ireland, and I think we wanted to quash those rumours and those stereotypes by educating people with the festival”, O’Byrne continued.
This kind of education is key to the week ahead. An information session given by Valentino Velasquez, who currently works in the Calais refugee camp, is taking place on Tuesday at 1pm in the Atrium, with a focus on how students can volunteer in refugee camps throughout Europe. Speaking to The University Times, Kevin Keane, President of Suas Trinity, explained that while the society’s planned trip to Calais is “in jeopardy” after French President, Francois Hollande, announced that the camp would be destroyed in the coming weeks, Suas are making alternate plans and are looking to organise an affordable volunteering trip to another European refugee camp in the reading week of next semester.
At 5pm on Tuesday, a screening of Salaam Neighbour is taking place in the Jonathan Swift theatre. An award-winning documentary which portrays the journey of two film-makers who register and live in Jordan’s Za’atari Refugee camp on the Syrian Border, the film will be introduced by Ghandi Mallak, an Irish citizen who sought asylum over 15 years ago. Originally from Damascus in Syria, Mallak is now the proprietor of Damascus Gate restaurant on Upper Camden Street.
Wednesday will see a donation drive taking place in the Atrium from 12pm to 2pm. Tinned food, clothes and blankets are needed, specific details of which can be found on the Suas Trinity Facebook page. Later, at 6pm in the Jonathan Swift Theatre, a screening is taking place of three mini-films: Refuge, The Sea Between Us and The Border, all of which are by Irish director Caoimhe Butterly. The event will be introduced by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) who will talk about their work and how Ireland should be playing a greater part in trying to help solve the refugee crisis.
Thursday will see a screening of Salaam Neighbour in Trinity Hall’s Oldham House, in line with the festival’s aim of being “as accessible as possible”, O’Byrne explains.
8×8 promises to be an exciting, enjoyable, enlightening and productive week for all those attending and involved. Most importantly, it will help raise awareness about the refugee crisis and the effects of this terrible war. Alongside their usual activities, these societies will seek to, over the course of the year, draw more attention to the ongoing crisis and what Trinity’s students can do. As Keane explains, for these societies: “The 8×8 Festival is sort of kicking off the year for us in terms of our activism on it.”
Sinéad Baker contributed reporting to this piece.
