Our Work With FilmAid Kenya
Although migration is a theme throughout the institute’s work, an ongoing partnership with the organization FIlmAid Kenya is a centerpiece. Penn faculty and students have joined forces with FilmAid Kenya on many different initiatives including, most recently, creating an open online filmmaking course and the establishment of film clubs in secondary schools in the Kakuma refugee camp and the Kalobeyei refugee settlement. PGDI hopes that this inaugural project will serve as a model for broader inquiries into human migration across and beyond the continent.
Films
glimpses of kalobeyei
Glimpses of Kalobeyei (2017) is a virtual reality short documentary by Peter Decherney and Jean Lee (‘06), supported by a crew of Penn students.
protection
Protection is a student film
return to kalobeyei
Return to Kalobeyei (2022) is a virtual reality short documentary by Peter Decherney with support from Maya Pratt-Freedman (‘23) and Blair Sackett (Grad ‘22).
About FilmAid Kenya
“FilmAid’s programs in Kenya are extensive. We work in Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps as well as informal urban settlements in Nairobi, to support and empower these marginalized communities.
We work with refugees, volunteers, and full-time staff to deliver life-saving information to those who need it most. Partnering with UNHCR and WFP, we ensure new arrivals have the information they need as soon as they arrive, showing informative films about their rights, responsibilities and what to expect from their new and unfamiliar home.
Our mobile cinema units show uplifting and entertaining cartoons and movies throughout the camps, as well as life-saving PSAs and films on critical health and social issues.”
— FilmAid Kenya
learn more about filmaid kenya
Getting Started in Film Course
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Film Clubs in Kenya
Penn and FilmAid Kenya students are developing a network of film clubs in secondary schools in the Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement in Kenya and in Gondar, Ethiopia.
FilmAid Kenya Penn Student Club
PGDI provides advising and support for our award-winning Penn student club and their annual film festival.