Frames of Mind
Screening Dates
  • September 18 (Wednesday) 7:00
Vancouver Premiere

“Some ideas can be surprisingly simple, and the perfect execution of such an idea can result in something brilliant. That happens in The Hearing.”

Nick Cunningham, Business Doc Europe

The Hearing explores the hidden world of asylum hearings—the process that millions of refugees worldwide experience when applying for citizenship in a new country. Through carefully crafted reenactments by real-life asylum seekers and employees of the State Secretariat for Migration in Switzerland, director Lisa Gerig vividly portrays the emotional stakes of these life-changing encounters. Each asylum seeker shares deeply personal stories of fleeing their home country; their vulnerability is underscored in stark contrast to the bureaucratic office setting in which the meetings take place. In a powerful role reversal, those seeking refuge challenge State interrogators with questions of their own, poignantly exposing the unbalanced power dynamics at play. Gerig’s social experiment not only sheds light on the asylum process but also raises critical questions about how best to reduce mental health stigma and encourage trauma-informed practices when working with those who are seeking refuge.

In English, Dari, French, German, and Tamil with English subtitles

Post-screening discussion with Dr. Kirby Huminuik, a registered psychologist who has worked with refugees for over 20 years, and Lesley Stalker, staff lawyer at the Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic in Vancouver.

Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, series director.

Media
Note

Dr. Huminuik holds a PhD in Counselling Psychology from UBC and has completed the Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recovery Certificate Program from the Harvard Medical School Department of Continuing Education. Dr. Huminuik provides clinical and assessment services for refugees, and consults with organizations and the government on refugee mental health. She is active in the profession of psychology and has served on the APA Task Force on Human Rights and the executive committee of the Human Rights and Social Justice Committee at CPA.

Lesley Stalker works with people who are looking for a safe place to live. Early in her practice, Lesley realized there is a conundrum in refugee law: those who are most in need of protection are often the least able to articulate that need due to the effects of trauma. She took a gap in her practice to work as regional legal officer with the United Nations Refugee Agency in Vancouver and worked with local groups to establish the READY Tours, a project which helps claimants understand the refugee process. Lesley also served as a member (decision-maker) with the Immigration and Refugee Board.

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