Causecast

Why I Participate

Coded Pictures produced "Moving to Mars", a feature documentary directed by Mat Whitecross, in 2009. The film follows two exiled Karen families from Burma, as they leave behind their homes in Mae La refugee camp and travel across the world to begin new lives in Sheffield, a city in the north of England. Through making this film, the production team learned about the struggle for justice in Burma, the plight of thousands of Karen refugees (as well as other ethnic minority groups) forced from their homes by the junta every year, and the struggles facing refugees as they attempt to assimilate themselves into a new culture and community.

About Me

After completing Moving to Mars in March 2009, Coded Pictures embarked on organising an outreach campaign to enable Burma campaigners and refugee charities to use the film in their work. So far, we have met with groups as diverse as STAR Student Action for Refugees, Burma Campaign UK, Amnesty International, City of Sanctuary, Refugee Action and the UK Refugee Council, among others. We are developing a targeted outreach plan with some of these NGO partners, which we hope will take off in 2010, after the film has premiered and been shown on UK TV (on More4) in January.

My Interest

We are interested in film, especially social issue documentaries, and filmmakers, the campaign for justice in Burma, campaigns in support of Burma's Karen people, community development projects (especially those designed to increase social cohesion between refugees and their local communities), any projects that aim to challenge misleading stereotypes about refugees and educate the public about what it really means to be a refugee and flee one's home, and human rights in general.