Directed by
Quester Devette Hannah
Country of Origin
Israel
Runtime
01:07:00
This documentary is about Mutasim Ali, a Sudanese refugee, who escaped genocide in his home country, fled to Israel and overcame discrimination. Through interviews, rare photos and footage, we will experience Mutasim’s story from the time he fled genocide in Darfur, survived the treacherous journey through Egypt before arriving in Israel. While in Israel he applies for asylum along with other refugees from Sudan and Eritrea. The Israeli government doesn’t recognise them as refugees and labels them as infiltrators and sends them to a detention facility in the middle of the desert while they review their applications for asylum. The film shows how Mutasim along with other refugees continue to fight for status in Israel while maintaining their identity and culture despite being displaced. As the story progresses, Mutasim is granted refugee status, attends law school in Israel and travels abroad to bring attention to the African asylum seeker ordeal in Israel. He eventually graduates from George Washington University with an LLM degree in spring of 2020. Mutasim is the only Sudanese national to be granted refugee status in Israel.
Director Biography – Quester Devette Hannah
Quester is a graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts. While at NYU, his second year short film King of Guangzhou was screened at various national and international film festivals and has garnered many awards. Never Keep Silent, is a documentary film about African asylum seekers struggling to gain status in Israel. Never Keep Silent was a finalist for the 2016 Richard Vague Production Fund and was awarded the Dean’s Award at Tisch School of the Arts and the Alan Landsburg Documentary Award. Prior to attending NYU, Quester earned his MFA in acting from Pennsylvania State University. His production company, Walk or Sink Media LLC, has produced corporate videos for WISE SG, 623ent., Holistic Life Foundation, Paterson Public Schools.