Welcoming Week Spotlight on: We Are Not Powerless

Up next in our series of showcasing Welcoming Week events and activations, we’re delighted to be supporting the incredible film, We Are Not Powerless.

This film means so much to so many, and it’s such a natural fit to use the vehicle of Welcoming Week to bring more people into the orbit of its filmmakers, Muzafar Ali and Jolyon Hoff.

We Are Not Powerless tells the story of what can happen when a community refuses to give in and work together for hope, love, and education.

Ten years ago Muzafar Ali and his wife Nagina escaped the Taliban in Afghanistan. They found themselves living in Indonesia as refugees when Australia ‘stopped the boats’. Determined to do something, they started a small two room school, which soon became the hub of a community and the most successful refugee-led initiative in the world.

We sat down with filmmaker Jolyon Hoff to find out more about the film and its impact on the times we find ourselves in today.

Why is it significant viewing for right now?

There is nothing more important than we can do right now than come together in a room to share stories. We are being swamped by algorithmic designed and AI generated content. It is created by digital oligarchs and bureaucrats who want to control us and coming together is the most human thing we can do.

In the online world we are separated and fearful of each other. Together, in the same room, it’s easy to see how we are more the same than we are different.

What do you hope the film inspires in its viewers?

We Are Not Powerless is directed and produced by a suburban Aussie surfer and an Afghan Hazara former refugee. We hope this film inspires and brings our communities closer together.

What does the film and its message mean to you?

The title of our film We Are Not Powerless refers to the refugee community in Indonesia, but it also refers to ‘us’, as Australians, we too are not powerless. Bringing your community together to hold a screening of this film is a powerful action. We hope we can join you.

Throughout September, there are already 8 screenings from Busselton to Brunswick, with even more on the way. You could even host your own! Check them out below or head to the We Are Not Powerless website to organise a screening!