IRIS International Film Club: The Afghan Refugee Experience in Wisconsin and Beyond

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Join us for our online March Film Club with Erin Barbato, Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at UW-Madison. Erin Barbato will lead a discussion on refugee resettlement in Wisconsin and across the US. She will address the current resettlement of Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy, the legal and political struggles currently facing Afghan refugees, and talk about how people can get involved in refugee justice.

Our Film Club will feature the multi award-winning and Oscar-nominated Danish film Flee (Flugt). Flee (2021) is a visually stunning film that examines the harrowing true-life tale of an Afghan man who is compelled to reveal his concealed past by recounting his experiences as a refugee attempting to reach safety and build a new life in Denmark. The film is nominated for two BAFTAs: Best Documentary and Best Animated Feature Film, and three Academy Awards: Best Animated Feature; Best Documentary Film; and Best Foreign Language Film.

Prior to the event, participants are encouraged to view the film Flee. Registered attendees will be able to watch the film from March 17-22. Information on how to view the film will be shared after registration.

Erin Barbato is the Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School. She teaches second- and third-year law students to represent individuals in removal proceedings and with humanitarian-based immigration relief. The work often involves representing people seeking refuge in the United States. Previously, Erin worked as an immigration attorney at a non-profit organization and in private practice. Prior to law school, Erin volunteered as a teacher at El Centro del Muchacho Trabajador, a non-profit organization in Quito, Ecuador, where she worked with resettled refugee families living at or below the poverty line.

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for South Asia and the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic at UW-Madison