Alexandra Shiva & Princess Firyal of Jordan, Telling the Human Side of the Refugee Crisis - “This is Home”

Often lost amid coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis is the human side of the story. In this discussion, filmmaker Alexandra Shiva and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Princess Firyal of Jordan, explore the lives of families featured in the documentary film This is Home: A Refugee Story.

Shiva on learning from the refugee families: “I was really struck by – especially with the dynamics between the men and the women – [the] dignity preservation. The idea of the men really having a very difficult time letting go of some of the cultural norms and what that does to the family...And having to preserve their culture, I thought was really fascinating... The other piece that was very surprising for me was how much people wanted to go home, how much a piece of that there is and the sense of exile.”

Princess Firyal on the refugee families adjusting to a new home: “These people are realists. There is no home to go to. So the American dream is so attractive to all of us... They know here is a good place. And at the beginning, it was frightening... But little by little, they felt more welcome and they started finding jobs.”