Presented by Saratoga Immigration Coalition

The screening Utica: The Last Refuge" will be followed by a discussion with director Loch Phillips. This documentary follows the Azeins, a refugee family from Sudan, over the course of two and a half years as they transition from isolation to being part of a larger community. After living in refugee camps in Ethiopia for six years, the Azeins land in Utica, N.Y. The rustbelt city has a long history of immigration and its more recent humanitarian efforts to welcome refugees contrasts with the tensions and the political debates about immigrants and refugees at the time of their arrival. “Utica: The Last Refuge” highlights the deep work done both by resettlement agencies, communities, and refugees alike, and shows how thoughtful civic humanitarianism can result in a myriad of benefits for communities and their existing residents. The screening is co-sponsored by Saratoga Immigration Coalition, and Skidmore College departments of Anthropology, Political Science, and World Languages and Literatures. Davis Auditorium