Synopsis

A group of six Sierra Leonean musicians come together to form a band while living as refugees in the Republic of Guinea. Civil war (1991–2002) in Sierra Leone took the lives of many of their loved ones and left them with physical and emotional scars that may never be healed, but it could never take away their music. Through music, The Refugee All Stars provides a unique and intimate perspective on war and conflict in the developing world.

Director

Zach Niles, Banker White

Zach Niles previously worked as an assistant director on the TV documentary series Live At The Fillmore, which followed the daily lives of a rock band preparing for a concert at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium. The series aired in the U.S. in 2001 on the UPN TV network. Active in South Africa and Cameroon, Niles has a deep interest and affection for African music and culture. Banker White is a multidisciplinary artist based in the Bay Area and holds a master’s degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts (CCAC). He is active in Ghana, West Africa, has directed numerous short films, and is also known as a musician. In the mid-1990s, he played a major role in establishing the Kokrobitey Institute, a learning center dedicated to exploring and preserving African cultural heritage.