Cosmo, originally from South Sudan seeks help from a childhood friend “Moon,” a poet. Having lived over a decade in Maine, USA, after having to flee his home country, he attempts to tell his story for the first time through the medium of poetry, after eighteen years of silence.
Director’s Statement: Migration is a multilayered term that has broadened and complicated itself in my mind, the longer I have lived in a land that is not my own. It is often deemed as a negative by some, as if searching for a better future in an unfamiliar place is a threat and something to be feared. To me, it shows bravery and resilience, surviving and battling systems that strategically repress any form of “otherness,” and the journeys it took to get there.
In the world’s current refugee crisis, reflected on the borders of European countries like my own, we dehumanize and distance ourselves from the struggles of people whose wars and politics are usually influenced by the West. Yet when these individuals turn to us for aid, we turn our backs and forget to see we are all alike.
Cosmo and Moon are poetic and eloquent voices, telling a universal story of home and belonging. This story seeks to understand the meaning of “home” and the ripple effects that are caused when a home is not so willingly offered by the countries receiving such courageous people.
Link to trailer: https://vimeo.com/352952133
Director Biography
Mollie Moore is a documentary filmmaker originally from South London, UK. With a background in cinematography, she uses the camera to express emotion and poetic nuances in nonfiction storytelling by blurring the line between fiction and nonfiction through her film’s cinematography. A Word Away is her directorial debut. It has screened at some of the most prestigious film festivals in the USA, including Camden International Film Festival, DOC NYC, and Big Sky International Film Festival. Mollie’s work both as a director and cinematographer focuses on migration, women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ issues. She is currently working on artist Marc Quinn’s multimedia art project, which focuses on the refugee crisis, as one of the lead filmmakers.
