COVID-19 has affected so many industries—including our dear filmmakers. With large gatherings disallowed, major film festivals are cancelled or postponed indefinitely. To provide relief and entertainment during these trying times, the film community–of over 20 participating film festivals—has gathered to present a global edition of the film festival, We Are One.
The virtual festival runs from 29 May to 7 June on their YouTube channel. The programme is free and consists of more than 100 films for your viewing pleasure. Each program has a scheduled premiere screening time. Fortunately, most of the films are video on demand so you can watch at your convenience through the course of the 10-day festival.
After browsing the film buffet menu, we’ve picked out five featured films to look out for.
1. Cinema Café with Jackie Chan
Recorded live from the Sundance Film Festival, each Cinema Café revives the culture of conversation. Catch this informal chat between moderator Kyle Buchanan and Jackie Chan, as the martial arts film legend shares his filmmaking journey. Divulge some juicy news too, perhaps?

2. Daughters of Chibok

Thrusting the spotlight onto the agrarian town of Chibok, Nigeria, this film tells the story of 276 teenage schoolgirls who were abducted from their dormitories by the terrorist group, Boko Haram. The documentary deals with the abduction aftermath and key global issues, like gender rights and access to education. Overall, a riveting eye-opener.
3. Black Barbie
Black Barbie is presented in a poetic animation, where Comfort Arthur—a British born Ghanaian animator and artist—explores her experience with skin bleaching products and shares her journey on societal beauty standards and self-identity.

4. The Cats
A 9-minute animation film depicts the encounter between a street cat and an old man. However, the story does not end there, because the old man has got a skeleton in his closet waiting to be unveiled.
5. Crow: The Legend
Directed by Erin Darnell—director of the Madagascar movies—and starring John Legend, the animation talks about a crow and his forest friends as they enter their very first winter. Can the animals survive the treacherous cold? Can Crow make the sacrifice to save his friends?
Browse through We Are One’s film schedule now and mark down the screening schedule of films you’d like to catch. You’ll receive a YouTube notification once they are made available!
Watch here.
We Are One: A Global Film Festival | Website | Facebook
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