Interview with Director Jack Collins
The Refugee Diaries is Rogan Productions’ latest documentary series. Produced by Katie Hindley and directed by Jack Collins, this series follows Thaer, a Syrian refugee, arriving and attempting to settle in the UK. Using modern and innovative filmmaking techniques, Jack and Katie set out to create a series that would cut through the mass of news that has been covered on the Syrian conflict and migrant crisis, and tell very personal stories focusing on what happens once a refugee arrives in the UK.
Jack explains:“People assume that once someone claims asylum it’s plain sailing and they’re looked after unconditionally. We knew from our extensive research talking to refugees first hand, as well as charities dealing with these situations, that this is far from the truth. To start with, the odds are stacked against refugees claiming asylum in the UK – most applications are rejected. Then if someone is accepted it’s hugely challenging to find accommodation, work, education, etc. All basic things that we take for granted. So we wanted to show the reality of the experience of a refugee trying to start a new life in a foreign land.”
Looking for a way to give Thaer a chance to express himself without intervention, they decided to integrate his home videos, which gave an insight into his life that was very intimate and personal: “We wanted to include UGC (user generated content) throughout the series, but it was only once we had started editing the first film that we realised how powerful that footage could be, and that we felt more connected to Thaer and his experience through using it. We ended up favouring the UGC where possible, and using our own filming on the C300 to complement this. Our own filming was about finding moments in Thaer’s life that we were particularly well placed to capture. For example, there are scenes of him interacting with other people or more visual sequences like when he’s exploring London and taking in the famous landmarks. His own video diaries where he talks to camera and tells us his experiences punctuate the footage we filmed and Thaer’s own recordings. It’s in these diaries, where we are directly addressed by Thaer, that we found our strongest moments. The aim of our series can be seen here. A refugee given the chance to speak and to tell us what he really thinks and feels about his new life in the U.K. “
Jack hopes that audiences will come away from the series with a feeling of optimism but also a deeper perspective on the Syrian war and refugee crisis: “Thaer and so many others like him have been through incredibly hard experiences that most of us in the U.K. will never have to go through. Despite experiencing the worst of humanity, Thaer has high dreams and ambitions and The Refugee Diaries shows him trying his best to succeed when the odds are stacked against him. I’d want people to see that refugees are just like us – they have hopes, dreams, families and ambitions, and as a society we should try our best to help rather than shut them away. “
You can watch all four episodes of The Refugee Diaries on BBC iplayer and Youtube.
