HIAS

Refugee Documentary Series

In the United States, refugees are often villainized with little context or understanding. The goal of our films for HIAS is to put a human face to a global issue to make the world a little smaller. 

BACKSTORY

For World Refugee Day 2016, HIAS wanted to reshape the conversation around refugees, particularly muslim refugees. Between the vitriolic 2016 presidential campaign that saw candidates targeting muslim immigrants and the general media news cycle, muslim refugees were being horribly misrepresented. We helped HIAS put a face to those they serve by telling the story of two Afghan brothers and the interfaith community that banded together to support them. 

_____________________________

IMPACT

The brother's story got nine times the views compared to the next highest performing HIAS video. With a reach of 15,000 page likes on Facebook, the video received:

• More than 260,000 views

• Donors called specifically to request more videos of the like

• Roughly 1 in 7 viewers decided to share the video, resulting in an organic reach of more than 120,000 people in the first couple weeks after publication

• More than 2,000 likes and 170 comments

_____________________________

CREDITS

Director & Director of Photography: Gabe Silverman

Producers: Jamie Coughlin | HIAS Staff

Camera: Gabe Silverman

Editors: Jamie Coughlin | Julia Reihs | Gabe Silverman

Music: APM

 

Signs of Hope for Buffalo's Deaf Refugees

Abdullah and Abdisalam fled civil war, violence and terrorism in Somalia. Both men came to the U.S. alone, leaving their parents and children behind. The pair are now roommates in Buffalo, NY, and they're both Deaf, a potentially insurmountable barrier to finding work and assimilating into American life. But through the Jewish community in their new hometown, they're learning American Sign Language and have real hope for the future. 

 
VideoStill6.jpg

IMPACT

• Published by Upworthy to its network of nearly 11 million followers

• More than 600,000 views 

• More than 4,100 shares in the first week of publication

• More than 10,000 likes/reactions and 300 comments

_____________________________

CREDITS

Director & Director of Photography: Gabe Silverman

Producers: Jamie Coughlin | HIAS Staff

Camera: Gabe Silverman

Editors: Jamie Coughlin | Julia Reihs | Gabe Silverman

Music: APM