About

This film is important … because it shatters the idea that there isn’t anything that one can do, that the problem is too big.

- Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.

Our Mission
Salam Neighbor is an award-winning feature documentary and campaign to connect the world to refugees. Our goal is to tell the stories of our refugee neighbors with the dignity they deserve and the depth the world needs. We hope you’ll join this effort by watching the film, sharing these stories and getting involved.

The Crisis
This is a critical moment, with more refugees today than anytime in the last century. More than 4.8 million people have fled Syria alone to escape the atrocities of war. Right now, we are at risk of losing a generation of youth, further destabilizing the region, and perpetuating a cycle of violence and poverty.

The Experience
In an effort to better understand refugee life, we spent one month living alongside displaced families in the Za’atari refugee camp. As the first filmmakers ever allowed by the United Nations to be given a tent and registered inside a refugee camp, we were able to get a never before seen look into the world’s most pressing crisis. Our experience uncovered overwhelming trauma but also the untapped potential our uprooted neighbors posses. With the right programs we can support healing, ease the burden on host countries and even empower the disenfranchised by unleashing people’s creativity.

The Campaign
Together let’s seek understanding instead of accepting stereotypes and take action instead of sitting idly by. What’s your first step?

  1. Host a Screening at your school, church or community center to make an impact!
  2. Watch the Film on Vimeo and get to understand your refugee neighbors.
  3. Take Action today by supporting refugees at home and abroad through advocacy, fundraising, and volunteering.

About the Producers

Optimist

Optimist uses immersive storytelling to create films, television series, and educational content combined with targeted social impact campaigns to inspire action around pressing global issues. By engaging a young and social media savvy audience, we have been able to create unprecedented awareness for important issues ignored by mainstream media. On all our films, we work with the best humanitarian organizations in the sector to provide opportunities for our audience to easily make a difference.

1001 Media

1001 MEDIA uses the power of film to shine a light on and introduce an element of humanity to a highly publicized and polarizing part of the world, where negative images in the media have built damaging and untrue stereotypes of Arabs. We will challenge a global audience to re-think their current perceptions of the Arab world by initiating a dialogue between Arabs and the rest of the world, and offering a different perspective. We intend to build a gateway between the Arab world and Hollywood by developing and financing commercially successful, English language, global films. Each of these films will focus on human stories where "East meets West", enabling each film to transcend politics and engage audiences on an emotional level through stories of adventure, romance, reality, and comedy.