Reg In Person

Presented by Scribe Video Center in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia

Storyville presents short films from ‘Making Home Movies,’ a signature project of Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Porch Light program. Visual artist Shira Walinsky and Bhutanese/Nepali and Karen/Burmese community members collaborated through Southeast by Southeast, a Mural Arts community space for refugees and immigrants in South Philadelphia. These films were created on the concept of home. Themes of war, loss, and arrival are explored using interviews, poetry, photos, montage and original drawings. 

Where two languages and cultures merge, the story of “home” emerges. 

Funding for ‘Making Home Movies’ is provided by:
PNC Arts Alive, DBHiDS, William Penn Foundation and the City Of Philadelphia 

Save the Seeds 

(USA, 2021, 9min)

83-year-old Gay Lay, a Karen woman and single mom of six, and her daughter Mu Nae share memories of surviving the Burmese army, life in the jungle, and refugee camp—and what Motherhood means to their daughters and granddaughters in the United States. 

Nettles Sisnu 

(USA, 2021, 6min)

Mother Dhan Tamang and her daughter Amanda Tamang search for nettles/sisnu in FDR Park. Through their walk, Amanda discovers stories of her Mother’s life in Bhutan.

Lucky To Have This Daughter 

(USA, 2021, 9min)

15-year-old Hae Paw narrates the story of her mother’s life in Burma, their shared life in a Thailand refugee camp, and their mutual growth in the United States. How do traditional family parent-child relationships change when a teenage daughter must help the family navigate life in the U.S? 

Better Life Bright Lights 

(USA, 2019, 11min)

Four resilient Karen women, farmers, weavers, survivors share memories of their first home, Burma, life in the jungle, the refugee camps in Thailand, and realities as recent arrivals to Philadelphia. 

PLKK You Are Here  

(USA, 2019, 10min)
Written with poet Ujjwala Maharjan, PLKK You Are Here intertwines reflections of five Bhutanese Nepali refugees living in Philadelphia and their collective story of life in Bhutan, refugee camps, and rebuilding in the United States.