ABOUT THE FILM

REFUGE is an award-winning feature-length documentary that follows a leader in a white nationalist hate group who finds healing from the people he once hated - a Muslim heart doctor and his town of refugees. Chris is a husband and father, a veteran, and until recently, a leader in the KKK. He started hating Muslims when the planes hit the Twin Towers on 9/11, but is forced to confront his hate when he receives a text from Muslim refugee, Heval. 

REFUGE is set in the most diverse square mile in America - Clarkston, Georgia - and follows a Syrian Kurd, a former Klansman, and a town of refugees who seek belonging in an increasingly polarized and isolated America. Ultimately, REFUGE uncovers what is possible when we leave the security of our tribes and what is at stake for our country if we don’t.

Film Correction Notice

October 20, 2023

Dear Friends of REFUGE,

We deeply value the trust you place in our work. As such, we wanted to share with you a discrepancy in our documentary that was recently brought to our attention. While we don’t believe this discrepancy materially changes the meaning of our film, we do think it’s important to address this new information openly and directly.

Recently, Chris Buckley let us know that the way in which he and Melissa were connected with Arno Michaelis was misrepresented to us, and is thus misrepresented in our film. We were originally told that Melissa was looking for help and reached out to Arno online; this is what you see at 22 minutes and 40 seconds into the film. But Chris recently informed us that he and Melissa were introduced to Arno by the producers of an unrelated docu-series that was subsequently canceled. We feel confident that the critical work and transformation that Chris did with Arno’s support is otherwise accurately represented. We remain grateful for the bravery of each person in our film, and this new information doesn’t alter that in any way. If anything, we believe Chris’ recent disclosure is evidence of his continued transformation.

We hope that our transparency about this situation will encourage more openness within our field and inform how our industry addresses the unique challenges we encounter. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

All the Best,

Din & Erin

OUR TEAM

We are devoted to increasing representation across ethnicity, gender, faith, & sexuality in the entertainment industry, not only in the content of our story but also in the crew that we are.  We believe that a story about the most diverse square mile in the United States should be told by a crew of similarly diverse individuals. 

IMPACT

There is a desperate need right now for stories that reinforce our common humanity and drive a scalable impact towards a more unified society. Our dynamic impact and education campaign is based on our hope that the reconciliation on display in Clarkston inspires greater connection and understanding between all people.