Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America is a feature documentary that takes an intimate look at the journey and struggle of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East as they flee persecution in their countries to seek better and safer lives in the United States. The film follows Junior (from the Congo), Subhi (from Syria), and Cheyenne and Mari (from Angola) beginning with their arrival to the United States. Although each story is unique, there are common threads of struggle, survival, vulnerability, hope, and resilience as they navigate the process of building a life in the United States. Unsettled:Seeking Refuge in America is a rich and layered film that brings to the forefront the vulnerability of LGBT population around the world and the challenges of making a home in a new country when you are alone and dependent on a system with limitations and the kindness of strangers.
Taught in conjunction with the curriculum guide, Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America will challenge students to take a closer look at the struggle and traumas experienced by the film’s subjects and to think critically about their own biases while expanding their knowledge on the global refugee crisis and LGBT rights worldwide. Discussion questions and supplementary materials facilitate further research into related topics such as LGBT Rights Movement, Universal Human Rights, Technology for social good, and the power of education, art/film to affect positive social change.