A NEW HOME尋找新家園

A selection of documentary shorts from the Tribeca Film Institute brings a human perspective to refugee struggles around the world. By KEVIN MA

翠貝卡電影學院紀錄短片精選，從人性化角度探討爭議性話題。撰文：馬樂民

THIS MONTH, WE

showcase an international selection of short-form documentaries from New York City’s Tribeca Film Institute ( TFI), co-founded by actor Robert De Niro. The selection, entitled Migrant Souls: Home and Away, examines the endeavours of refugees and those offering help.

In David Freid’s High Chaparral, a Swede contributes to his country’s open door policy towards Syrian refugees by transforming his American Wild West theme park into a temporary refugee camp for the winter. Just as the undeveloped West was once a refuge for settlers in the US, the park becomes a safe haven for people escaping war. Freid subtly injects the heartwarming story with equal measures of humour and hope.

Renga for the West is a project organised by the Refugee Directors’ Cooperative in the US state of Montana. The 40-minute short ties together three stories filmed by new arrivals, revealing their daily lives and reminding us that beyond the label of refugees, they’re musicians, athletes and mothers with aspirations.

Migrant workers must similarly adapt to new places, and Searching for Wives introduces a photo studio in Singapore that helps Indian migrant workers find wives by posting their portraits on a wall as a personal ad of sorts. The film is an intriguing journalistic work that shows how some cultures view the institution of marriage.

TFI, which prioritises creators whose points of view have been marginalised, also recently launched the If/Then initiative, which offers mentorship on funding and distribution for directors of short documentaries. The standout project is Poland’s George and George on the Lake, the story of two lifelong friends who sail together on the Mazury lakes every summer. Shot in a quiet, observational style, the film is an affectionate but unsentimental portrayal of lasting friendship.

今個月，國泰航空與紐約的翠貝卡電影學院攜手合作，於機上放映一系列來自世界各地的紀錄短片。這個電影學院由影星Robert De Niro聯合創辦。這系列的影片名 為《Migrant Souls: Home and Away》，講述難民與協助他們的人各自付出過的努力。

在 David Freid的《High Chaparral》中，一個瑞典人響應國家對敘利亞難民的門戶開放政策，把他的美國西部主題樂園，變成冬季臨時難民營。一如未開發的西部曾經是美國拓殖 者的庇護所，這個樂園成為逃避戰禍的新移民的避風港， Freid細膩地將幽默與希望注入這個窩心的故事之中。

《Renga for the Wes t》是一個由美國蒙大拿州的難民導演統籌的電影項目，這部長40分鐘的短片由落腳於蒙大拿州的難民親自執導，把三個故事連結起來，揭示難民的日常生活，告訴大家這些人不只是「難民」，他們也是音樂家、運動員和滿懷抱負的母親。

《Searching for Wives》講述在新加坡一間照相館裡，來自印度的民工把自己的照片貼在牆上招親，希望找到與他們共組家庭的妻子。這是個引人入勝的新聞故事，呈現不同文化對婚姻制度的看法。

此外，翠貝卡還推出「If/ Then」拓展計劃，向紀錄短片導演提供資金和指導，讓他們能藉作品來表達受到邊緣化的少數觀點。芸芸作品之中，來自波