Satomi Ishihara appears at "Refugee Film Festival"

Actor Satomi Ishihara appeared as a guest at the opening screening event of the 20th Refugee Film Festival, held at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills (Minato Ward, Tokyo) on November 6th. The festival, which began in 2006, is Japan's first film festival to focus on refugees. In her message for the film, Ishihara spoke of her feelings for her two children.

At the event, Ishihara spoke about her thoughts on the refugee issue, saying, "I believe humans are creatures that try to avoid things they don't understand. I want my children to have a perspective that isn't afraid of differences. I want them to grow up to be people who can naturally connect with the outside world. It's getting late tonight, so from tomorrow I'd like to talk again with children and families about the preciousness of life and the importance of seeing people as people."

The event also featured model Sae Miyaki and artist MIYAVI, who serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).

The annual film festival aims to convey the strength of refugees who have overcome hardship through the power of film and to increase understanding and empathy for the refugee issue in Japanese society. To date, 270 films from around the world have been screened, with over 100,000 participants. This year, the festival will be held at TOHO Cinemas Namba (Chuo-ku, Osaka) on November 13th and at the Italian Cultural Institute (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) on December 2nd and 3rd. It will also be held online until December 7th.