The second part in a two-part documentary, Brightness of Noon chronicles faith activists who, inspired by the Biblical precept of Welcoming the Stranger, defend the rights of asylum seekers and refugees. By hearing from religious leaders and the vulnerable families they are assisting, the film seeks to uphold the dignity of human life and protect religious freedom.
Click here for the trailer: https://www.divacommunications.com/documentaries/brightness-of-noon-2/
Offering sanctuary to the “stranger” is at the core of most religious traditions; sustaining them in an age of violence and cruelty is how we hold onto our human hearts.
Narrated by actress and activist Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill, Chicago PD), Brightness of Noon: The Intersect of Faith, Immigration and Refugees – Part II, presented by Diva Communications, is a one-hour interfaith documentary. The film shares the compassionate response of the majority of major faith-based institutions toward asylum seekers and refugees – a response that cares, nurtures, educates, often providing sanctuary for those living in fear of returning to their homelands.
By hearing directly from religious leaders and the people fleeing homes that are “the mouth of a shark,” as British-Somali poet Warsan Shire so eloquently describes the plight of refugees, Brightness of Noon humanizes those who have been forced to uproot their lives in hope of a life freed from emotional and physical danger. It will also illuminate why for many, to help the “stranger” is simply an act of faith.
Asylum seekers and refugees include:
Sonam in Times Square
• Sonam, a young Tibetan who from age 8- 26 was a monk. Having seen his monastery desecrated, and fearing further abuse, Sonam fled to the United States, only to find himself detained aka imprisoned for almost a year at a for-profit facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
• Due to the daily aerial bombings and street fighting, Waheed Safour, his wife Ghena Jaber and their autistic son, Nadeer, with the help of the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees, left their home in Homs, Syria and fled to Jordan, where for four years they were vetted by the UN Refugee Agency and their son Nabel was born. Now living in a roach infested apartment in Paterson, New Jersey, they rely on the kindness of strangers and plan for the next step in their future.
• Rosario Paz fled Guatemala for Chicago in 1985 after her husband "was disappeared" by the government in a crackdown on human rights. With the aid of the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ, Rosario started cleaning houses to earn a living and eventually founded a successful business, hiring refugees in similar circumstances.
• Renata Gonzalez (pseudonym) arrived in the U.S. from Guatemala in 2016 to escape gangs who threatened her and her 3-year-old daughter. Just starting her quest for asylum, Renata has been given a temporary place to stay by Chicago’s Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church.
• After her brother was murdered, Aziza Agres fled the violence of war-torn Sudan for Las Vegas where Lighthouse Charities, a refugee resettlement group, has given her and her family critical support.
In order to place their experiences in a broader historical context, the film features interviews with faith-based activists helping asylum seekers and refugees, including:
• Sally Pillay, Program Director at First Friends of New Jersey and New York, works closely with faith-based communities on macro (advocacy) as well as micro levels (visits to detainees).
• Shadi Martini, a Syrian businessman, provided underground medical aid in war-torn Aleppo until he was forced to flee his country. Abroad, he continued assisting Syrian refugees to escape his country’s Civil War and start new lives. Now a green card holder, he is the Director of Humanitarian Relief and Regional Relations at the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees.
• Rev. Beth Brown at Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church in Chicago has helped Renata Gonzalez and her family with a place to live and aided them in their asylum application process.
• Pastor Craig Mousin of Chicago’s Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ is a staunch defender of refugee and immigrant rights not only as a minister, but in his capacity as a lawyer and educator. Mousin and his congregation have assisted those fleeing violence in their home countries in finding safe haven in the U.S. and navigating a complex and often frustrating legal system as they seek asylum.
• Becca Heller, Director and Co-Founder of the International Refugee Assistance Project, is a widely recognized expert on refugee rights. Heller organiz es law students to help improve refugee processing systems and protect asylum seekers’ rights in court.
• Kate McCaffrey of Congregation Bnai Keshet in Montclair, New Jersey, founded the Syria Supper Club to provide direct aid to refugees. With the blessing of Rabbi Elliott Tepperman, the pair organizes fabulous feasts where Syrian refugee women are paid to cook food and host dinners for invited guests eager to hear their stories.
• Cindy Trussel, President of Lighthouse Charities in Las Vegas, Nevada, and an immigrant herself at age 9, leads a group that helps resettle refugees, creating multiple workforce initiatives for refugee men and women along with direct support to their families.
• Founder of the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees and President of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, Georgette Bennett seeks to better position the world’s great religions as a collective moral force to assist those marginaliz ed groups who cannot help themselves.