Synopsis: Syracuse, New York is an unlikely home to over 10,000 former refugees now living in the U.S.. Two women at the forefront of this community reflect on what their presidential vote means to those whose only true home is the American town that took them in.

Web Series: The short documentary film, “America Heard: Refuge of Hope,” follows two young refugee Muslim women from upstate NY in the after-math of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The film brings awareness to the refugee and immigrant perspective during these divisive times. It is part of a larger bi-partisan series, “America Heard,” which aims to share local voting stories from all 435 congressional districts across America. The film launched shortly after the U.S. presidential inauguration in January 2017 and the web series continues to add stories representing different voices from across the country. Visit AmericaHeard.com for more info.

About the Filmmaker

Submitted by Yasmin Mistry and James Boo

Yasmin Mistry, Director – Yasmin is an Emmy-nominated animator and filmmaker. Her work has been displayed worldwide including recent showings at the White House and United Nations as well as at film festivals such as Cannes, SXSW, Tribeca and Clermont-Ferrand. She is the recipient of the Puffin Foundation’s 2013 film grant, the Brooklyn Arts Council’s 2014 – 2017 film grants, and the winner of the Jessie Streich-Kest Memorial Grant. You can follow her work at idesygn.com and fostercarefilm.com

James Boo, Producer – James is a documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. He is currently a JustFilms Fellow at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, where he’ll be completing an ongoing micro-documentary project on the food communities of New York City. You can follow his work at jamesboo.com and follow him at @spectatorspork.

Filmmakers’ Websites:  http://www.idesygn.com and https://jamesboo.com/