Journey’s End Refugee Services closes their 3rd Annual WNY Refugee Festival on a high note (and low ones, too!) with The Music of Strangers! This Grammy-nominated documentary follows members of the world renowned Silk Road Ensemble, founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, as they gather in locations across the world, exploring the ways art can both preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution.

Blending performance footage, personal interviews, and archival film, Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?) focuses on the personal journeys of a small group of Silk Road Ensemble mainstays — Kinan Azmeh (Syria), Kayhan Kalhor (Iran), Yo-Yo Ma (France/United States), Wu Man (China), and Cristina Pato (Spain) — to chronicle their passion, talent, and sacrifice. Through these moving individual stories, the filmmakers paint a vivid portrait of a bold musical experiment and a global search for the ties that bind. And, oh yeah, lots of fantastic music, too!

• Official Site: The Music Of Strangers
• Director: Morgan Neville
• Running Time: 96 min.
• Languages: English, Arabic
• Subtitles: English
• Country: Various
• Production/Distribution Company: Participant

For your safety and comfort, Journey’s End Refugee Services is screening the 2021 WNY Refugee Film Festival for FREE! But please consider making a donation to support the vital services and programs provided by Journey’s End to our refugee community. (Suggested donation: $25.)

The fourth season of WNYRFF is coming in February 2022 and will also be virtual and FREE! Stay tuned to wnyrff.org for the exciting line-up of films curated with you in mind!