Powerful refugee story screened in Drouin

A remarkable story of resilience is coming to Drouin next week, thanks to the Casey Cardinia for Refugees organisation.

The volunteer advocacy group will be showing a full-feature documentary, We Are Not Powerless, at the Drouin Community Hub on Tuesday, October 13.

The film documents a collection of refugees who immigrated to Indonesia and formed a small classroom in which they taught groups of misplaced children, as Indonesian laws prevented refugees from accessing the nation's education system.

The Cisarua Refugee Learning Centre has since blossomed into one of the world's most successful refugee-led education program, an initative spanning both children and mature age students now 1300 students strong, supported by 130 refugee teachers.

The feature, directed by former refugee Muzafar Ali and Jolyon Hoff (an established surfer-documentary director), specifically centres around the life trajectories of refugees displaced in Indonesia during the peak of Australia's "Stop the Boats" policy - which saw a community grow and thrive around each other into a two-room school running on nothing but a single $200 donation.

The film centres on Mr Ali and his wife Nagina Zahra, who co-founded the first school before being resettled in Adelaide in 2015. Over the following decade, the schools continued to grow, with former students going on to attend universities around the world and pursue careers including medicine, teaching and law.

The documentary explores the human stories behind global refugee and migration debates, offering audiences a rare insight into life in limbo for refugees living in Indonesia while highlighting the role education can play in creating opportunity and hope.

Mr Ali said storytelling had the power to create change.

"By telling their stories, this is how we change the world," he said.

The film has already attracted strong attention, receiving two sold-out screenings and standing ovations at the Adelaide Film Festival in 2025.

Mr Ali is well known as a photographer, humanitarian and refugee advocate. Since arriving in Australia, he has worked extensively to support refugee communities and was named the 2022 Fred Hollows Humanitarian of the Year.

Running for 94 minutes, We Are Not Powerless combines personal storytelling with international significance, presenting an uplifting account of how education, community and perseverance can flourish even in the most challenging circumstances.
We Are Not Powerless will screen at Drouin Community Hub, 1 Oak St, Drouin, on Tuesday, October 13 at 1:30pm.
Entry is $10, bookings preferered by contacting Anne at caseycardiniarefugees@gmail.com or 0432 204 327. Doors open at 1pm for those who prefer to pay at the door.