On 8 May 2025, Global Health Film Days and the Dutch Global Health Film Festival organised an online film evening on migration and health. During this event, we explored with 50 participants how migration processes affect mental, physical and social health.
Through three international short films, urgent questions were addressed: what does it mean to have to leave your homeland due to war, climate change or political instability? How does a long and uncertain journey affect one's well-being? And how do asylum procedures and restrictive migration systems affect the daily lives of people on the run?
The selected films brought personal and poignant stories about, among other things, the emotional impact of displacement and separation, the uncertainty surrounding asylum procedures, resilience and resistance in situations of marginalisation, and the interplay between policy, environment and migrant health.
A panel discussion and open discussion followed the screenings, linking the film stories to broader global health issues. The panel consisted of Sara Sahba (pediatrician in training and co-founder of the Health and Health Care Expertise Centre for Children and Adolescents with a Refugee Background - EKANN), Hussain Jafari (psychologist and coordinator of the Life Skills programme at the Netherlands Red Cross), Maria Marti Castaner (associate professor of public mental health at the Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, University of Copenhagen, and clinical psychologist). The conversation was moderated by Megan Milota (associate professor of narrative medicine, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, UMC Utrecht).
The evening provided space for reflection, questions and exchange. The combination of film and dialogue revealed how migration is not only a political or legal issue, but also a fundamental health question that calls for attention, cooperation and people-centred approaches within global health.
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English