In Exile
"In Exile" is a deeply moving and visually arresting documentary that brings to life the powerful stories of artists, writers, musicians, and political activists forced to flee their homelands. Each individual represents a nation in turmoil — from authoritarian regimes to war-torn landscapes — yet their voices rise above silence and displacement.
Full Documentary
Individual Artists
Mai Khoi
Mai Khoi is a Vietnamese singer-songwriter and political activist known as 'Vietnam's Lady Gaga'. She transformed from a pop star to a dissident after being censored by the Vietnamese government for her activism advocating for democracy and human rights.
Jorge & Nancy
Writer Jorge Olivera Castillo and human rights defender Nancy Alfaya are Cuban activists who have dedicated their careers to bringing sociopolitical change through fiction, poetry, journalism, and activism. Both have been arrested and imprisoned on numerous occasions for their work advocating for democratic change and political and artistic freedom in Cuba.
Oleksander Fraze-Frazenko
Oleksander Fraze-Frazenko is a Ukrainian artist, activist, and LGBTQ+ rights advocate who has been at the forefront of fighting for equality and human rights in Ukraine.
Mukhtar Saad Shehata
Mukhtar Shehata is an Egyptian freelance researcher and writer. He holds an MA degree in African Studies, Indigenous Peoples, and Black Cultures from the Universidade do Estado da Bahia. He is the author of several novels, short stories, and research essays, and co-author with Samuli Schielke of the monograph 'Shared Margins: An Ethnography with Writers in Alexandria after the Revolution.'
Haifa Subay
Haifa Subay is a Yemeni graffiti artist and activist who uses street art to raise awareness about the impact of war on women and children in Yemen.
Habibullah Sorosh
Habibullah Sorosh is an Afghan artist and activist who has been featured in various cultural programs and exhibitions in the United States.
Rania Mamoun
Rania Mamoun is a Sudanese writer, novelist, and activist. She is the author of several acclaimed short story collections and is a co-founder of the Medani Resistance Committees.
Anouar Rahmani
Anouar Rahmani is an Algerian writer and human rights defender who advocates for individual freedoms, environmental rights, and the rights of minorities, women, and the LGBT+ community. He is the author of four novels in Arabic and was the first person to publicly demand same-sex marriage in Algeria.
The Directors
Ralph Vituccio
Ralph Thomas Vituccio is a filmmaker and Professor of Media at Carnegie Mellon University. His work explores themes of displacement, exile, and human rights through documentary filmmaking. Vituccio's films have been screened internationally and focus on giving voice to artists and activists who have been forced to flee their homelands. As an educator, he mentors students in documentary production and socially engaged media practices, emphasizing the power of storytelling to create social change and preserve cultural memory.
Reem Alghazi
Reem Alghazzi is a Syrian Artist. She has directed and produced several short films individually and as part of collectives. Her films have been screened at the Cinéma du réel in Paris and the Locarno International Film Festival. Alghazzi has published several articles and texts in local and Arabic websites/newspapers. Her work has been also presented in several exhibitions and in the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. In 2010, she established the Stories Film Lab, in Damascus. In 2023 she was awarded Samira Alkhalil’s Prize in Paris.