PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec 4, 2023
PRESS INQUIRIES:
Justine Armen, Producer, Parastoo
justinerosey@gmail.com, parastoodoc@gmail.com
Parastoo seeks critical funding to complete the coming of age story of Afghan refugee theater makers in Malaysia
See the campaign here
(Atlanta, Oakland, New York City, USA and Kuala Lumpur, MY)— Parastoo is a short documentary film named for its subject: a community-based theater started by an Afghan theater director and refugee Saleh Sepas in Kuala Lumpur. Parastoo, the theater, works in the tradition of Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed, aiming to raise awareness on social, economic and mental health issues faced by refugees, while acting as a therapeutic outlet for its members.
“In Farsi, parastoo is the name of a bird. It’s always migrating and moving and always traveling. This is the fate of migrants.” - Saleh Sepas, founder of Parastoo Theater
Parastoo the film is a coming-of-age story that follows 15-year-old Farzana, a young woman born in Afghanistan, through the growing pains of young adulthood, the heartbreaking asylum-seeking process, and her journey towards becoming an established theater actor and eventually, director.
"I feel really powerful on stage as well. It's like I own this place, this is my place, this is my time, and this is where I should do something great…When I’m in theater, I feel like I don’t have any pain in my life.” - Farzana Yakta, actress and director of Parastoo
The Parastoo film team has launched a Seed&Spark campaign (running from Dec 4, 2023 until Feb 1, 2024) to raise funding to help complete two final shoots needed to finish the film and bring it through post-production. This campaign will be leveraged to gain further institutional funding needed to complete this important story. We are trying to raise $60k in 60 days. You can find the campaign HERE.
“I am inspired and moved by the resilience of Afghans everywhere, from young girls & women marching defiantly for their rights to education & work to Afghan refugees like Parastoo Theatre & Greater Action in Malaysia transforming trauma & loss into art & hope.” - Rina Amiri, U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights (Twitter, 2022)
This story is close to the hearts of the filmmakers, sisters Jennifer and Jane Macedo Yang, whose family story has also been shaped by the consequences of conflict and war; their Chinese-Cambodian father survived the Cambodian genocide and became a refugee in Thailand, eventually resettling in the United States.
"Because of our dad’s history as a refugee in Southeast Asia, we were drawn to the region. While we first moved to Malaysia to learn more about the Rohingya refugee crisis, we discovered that the country was a global corridor for refugees and asylum-seekers around the world, including Syria, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan." - Jane Macedo Yang, Director of Photography, Parastoo
"As two sisters of Mexican and Teochew heritage, much of the inspiration for our work lies in the migrant and refugee stories we have inherited from both sides of our family. Stories that ask questions such as: what is the meaning of home? Does building a home in an unfamiliar place mean letting go of some integral part of yourself and your roots? And examining what that means for those pushed to the margins of society." - Jennifer Macedo Yang, Director, Parastoo
Donations to the campaign are 100% tax-deductible, and include the following rewards:
$5, a digital "thank you" postcard from the producers
$15, an artist-made digital film poster
$25, a resource guide
$35, a digital rental screener for the completed film
$50, a digital copy of the completed film
$75, Behind the scenes content & production updates
$100, a physical artist-made PARASTOO film poster
$150, a special thanks in the film credits
$10,000 an Associate Producer Credit - Does not include creative or editorial control or copyright.
$25,000 An Executive Producer credit - Does not include creative or editorial control or copyright.
See the campaign here
Interviews with the film team and film participants would be available to journalists interested in covering the story of the film's history and process, and to help promote the fundraising campaign.
