Redemptorist Documentary about migrants and refugees wins Special Jury Mention Award

The feature documentary, “Who is my neighbor?” directed by Fr. Charles Vijay Kumar, C.Ss.R., won Special Jury Mention award at the Jaipur International Film Festival, 2020- India, one the biggest competitive film festival in the world. Out of 2161 films submitted in various categories from about 94 countries, 216 films were selected and this was one of the 26 documentary feature films that screened at the weeklong film festival. The festival was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Mr. Ashok Gehlot, and awards were given away by the Tourism Minister Govind Singh and others.

It was a unique experience to screen a film that showcases Stories of Redemptorists and other Christian organizations working in solidarity with the poor migrants and refugees across the globe on a big screen to a secular audience. The film was well-received by the audience and created a rare platform to express the catholic social teachings on screen and through the Q & A session.

Apart from this, the film has also been recognized with official selections by Berlin Flash Film Festival, Beyond Earth Film Festival, and London Lift-Off Online Film Festival.

The film is available in with both English and Spanish subtitles, and is distributed in the US and Canada by Liguori Publication, St. Louis, USA on DVDs/Blu Ray Discs and will be available by Mid-February, 2020. The film is also available online on Vimeo VOD (Video on demand) – https://vimeo.com/ondemand/whoismyneighbor. For community and parish screenings and other distribution queries, kindly contact Fr. Charles Vijay by email (charlesvijaycssr@gmail.com).

The film that weaves stories of migrates and refugees from the five continents, filmed in nine countries was possible only with the extraordinary support extended by many Redemptorists and Christian organizations across the globe. Special thanks to Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Rev. Fr. Michael Brehl, C.Ss.R. and Redemptorists from Province of Denver, USA. We hope the film becomes a powerful tool to bring about awareness and initiate informed discussions in our communities and parishes.