A film by Amanda Chemeche
RADICAL HOSPITALITY
INTRODUCTION
Radical Hospitality is a film by Amanda Chemeche, documenting the experiences of a displaced Southeast Asian community as they adapt themselves to a new home. It follows a group of refugees who are inducted into an Old Order Mennonite church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The Karen, an ethnic minority group living on the Thai-Myanmese border, have fought a protracted civil war against the military government of Myanmar for nearly eight decades in hopes of creating their own nation. Fleeing persecution but looking to maintain their culture and identity, the community finds an unlikely partner in Habecker Church, home to an aging congregation in rural Pennsylvania. Set against a backdrop of anti-refugee protests, heated political debate, and the Lancaster countryside, the two groups strive to create a new community as they seek common ground between their radically distinct cultures. The film asks its audience: “As Americans, what is our responsibility to refugees fleeing persecution around the world? What are the ways we can help make a place for them in the United States? How can other rural, multi-generational and Christian communities across America learn from Habecker Mennonite Church's attempts at adopting a model of Radical Hospitality?”
THE FILMMAKERS
AMANDA CHEMECHE
Director/Producer/Cinematographer
JONATHAN ANDREWS
Assistant Producer
NATHALIE MITCHELL
Cinematographer
FILM CLIPS
SPEAKING WITH KEVIN RESSLER
SPEAKING WITH LERLA CHASTAIN
KAREN TEXTILES
MUSIC
Much of the film's music was provided by Jack Chance of Guerilla Ethnomusicology. Traveling for several years along the Thai-Myanmese border and spending extensive time in the Karen refugee camps, Mr. Chance made several important recordings of this traditional folk music. Used as a means of preserving the community’s cultural identity, these songs are transmitted down from person to person in the settlements. Harkening back to the Karen’s early journey down the Salween River into Myanmar, many of these pieces are sung by musicians who have been separated from their homeland for thirty years. Sitting at the margins of political and social life, their voices play a critical role in documenting the legacy of persecution the community has suffered at the hands of the Myanmese junta.
Jack Chance is a radio producer, filmmaker, and "guerilla ethnomusicologist." He has recorded traditional musicians in more than 30 countries, and is a contributing writer for The Rough Guide to World Music.
We are proud to feature these recordings, and hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
PHOTOGRAPHY
GET INVOLVED
Through the process of developing the film, the team worked closely with several institutions and non-profit groups serving the Karen in Lancaster. Ranging from local organizations to international humanitarian agencies (some of whom are organized by the Karen themselves), we draw inspiration from the support and services they provide to the community. These groups also served as sources of valuable information regarding the Karen’s history, the abuses committed by the Myanmese government, and their ongoing civil war.
By listing our partners, we hope to spread awareness of the struggles facing the Karen, as well as to encourage others to support the work being done within their community. On behalf of the Radical Hospitality team, please take the time to read about each of these organizations and consider helping a good cause.
The Karen Women Organization, helping to empower women of the Karen community at the international and local levels.
The Karen Human Rights Group, a whistleblowing organization that monitors crimes committed against the Karen in Myanmar and Thailand.
Church World Service, the Mennonite organization actively settling refugees in the city of Lancaster, as well as directly serving the Karen community featured in the film.
PRESS MATERIALS
CONTACT
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