THE REFUGEE ALL STARS International Documentary Competition

THE REFUGEE ALL STARS tells the remarkable and ultimately life- affirming story of a group of six Sierra Leonean musicians who come together to form a band while living as refugees in the Republic of Guinea.

In the midst of o brutal civil war, the residents of the West African coastal country of Sierra Leone were forced to flee their homes, suffering brutal physical attacks, and losing family members and their sense of security. Relocated to a Guinean refugee camp hundreds of miles away, six Sierra Leone refugees form a band, the music providing diversion from the memories of the post, giving their lives a new purpose. As the band tours other camps and gains popularity, their desire to record an album will take them back to war-ravaged Freetown and involve them in the UNHCR’s “go-and-see” program to encourage refugees to return home — a journey that will require the courage to put the past behind them.

Featuring a truly inspired soundtrack and heroic characters, THE REFUGEE ALL STARS captures the best of the human spirit – the ability to forgive, find hope and share it with others – and the awesome power of music to heal.