Homespun Highlights the Plight of Refugees with Two New Films
To highlight World Refugee Week Homespun has been involved in two relevant and poignant films.
Firstly, Home, a short film about the life-changing journey a comfortable English family experience as thousands of men, women and children attempt to enter Europe.
Directed by Daniel Mulloy and edited by Homespun’s Phil Currie, Home stars Jack O’Connell (Unbroken, 300: Rise of an Empire) and Holliday Granger (The Finest Hours, Cinderella) and is a sensitive, layered and complex exploration of how fear can bring out the best and worst in all or us.
The inspiration behind the film came when Mulloy met a couple and their toddler in 2015. As they began chatting he discovered they were dressed in clothes donated to them and that their son had been operated on after falling ill sleeping on the floor of a Hungarian jail cell. It stuck a deep chord and Mulloy felt sickened and disturbed knowing that they were going to be sent back to the nightmare they tried to escape.
“The film was only able to happen with the goodwill of so many people and organisations,” says Mulloy, “People coming together and supporting the project however they could was the key”.
Production company Somesuch were on board and that’s how Homespun became involved. “When they approached me about Home I knew straight away that I wanted to be part of the project,” said Editor Phil Currie.
'Home' is set for a limited release in cinemas across the country to coincide with World Refugee Week. Click here to view the trailer.
Secondly, there is the incredible Jangala produced by The Worldwide Tribe who are supporting refugees across Europe.
The Worldwide Tribe was set up by Jaz O’Hara after she visited the jungle camp in Calais in August 2015. The raw and emotional post that Jaz wrote about her experience went viral, with over 65,000 shares. What followed was an immense outpouring of support that has enabled The Worldwide Tribe to have a direct, positive impact on a ground level.
They use creative storytelling to highlight the humanity of this crisis and Jangala is an intimate view of life inside the camp. Directed by Jaz’s 17 year old brother Finlay O’Hara and edited by Tim Hardy, the film was made to answer some of the questions and share the stories inspired by heroic individuals The Worldwide Tribe made friends with on their trips.
“The idea of the film was to answer some of the questions that first brought us to the jungle in Calais,” says Finlay. “As we got to know people, sleeping, eating and making friends in the camp, we filmed an intimate insight into their lives, the beautiful people behind the headlines”.
Tim Hardy adds: “It’s incredible what both Finlay and Jaz have achieved, especially at such a young age, it was an honour to work with The Worldwide Tribe on this."
