“The art of film can reach far beyond borders”: UNIQLO spotlights Displacement Film Fund at World Expo in Osaka

“It gives me a chance not only to tell my own story, but to represent the voice of many displaced people who often go unheard,” said Syrian filmmaker Hasan Kattan, speaking at a panel event at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, held in advance of World Refugee Day on 20 June.

Kattan is one of the filmmakers supported by the pilot edition of the Displacement Film Fund alongside Maryna Er Gorbach, Mo Harawe, Mohammad Rasoulof and Shahrbanoo Sadat which was launched at IFFR 2025. His project Allies in Exile (working title) will be a personal documentary about two Syrian filmmakers, bound by a 14-year friendship forged in war, who document their shared exile in the UK asylum system – until one is granted refuge and the other returns to a changed Syria, reflecting the impossible choices refugees face today.

IFFR Managing Director Clare Stewart also participated in the Expo event which was presented by Fast Retailing/UNIQLO in partnership with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The programme, which showcased the company’s global refugee support activities, was hosted by Koji Yanai – Group Senior Executive Officer at Fast Retailing – and other speakers included UNHCR Japan’s Representative-Designate Fumiko Kashiwa and Cannes award-winning actor Koji Yakusho (Perfect Days).

Fumiko Kashiwa’s opening remarks referred to the latest UNHCR Global Trends Report, released on June 12th: “As of the end of April 2025, the number of people displaced from their homeland reached 122.1 million. This is comparable to the population of Japan, meaning that one in 67 people globally is forced to flee due to conflict and persecution”.

“Even those who have not taken an active interest in refugees can be engaged through the power of their storytelling”

Koji Yanai said: “As a founding partner of the DFF, UNIQLO is committed to creating opportunities for outstanding filmmakers who are displaced, because we believe this will also raise awareness of refugee experiences,” he explained. “The art of film can reach far beyond borders and languages and even those who have not taken an active interest in refugees can be engaged through the power of their storytelling,” he continued.

The Displacement Film Fund was established “with a mission of giving visibility and bringing to the mainstream stories of displacement” outlined Clare Stewart, who gave a comprehensive presentation on the purpose and development of the Displacement Film Fund. “We see the UNIQLO partnership as being essential to this mission, as the global reach of the company can help us create a greater profile for the films and filmmakers.”

“We are proud and honoured that the Hubert Bals Fund is the Management Partner for this scheme”

Acknowledging the wider group of partners, philanthropists, film industry experts and creatives who are supporting the Displacement Film Fund, Stewart paid tribute to the contribution of actor, producer and UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett, whose leadership has been the driving force behind the initiative. “At IFFR we are proud and honoured that the Hubert Bals Fund is the Management Partner for this scheme, which aligns powerfully with the work of the HBF over the past 30 years.”

“Being selected was like a small window of hope”

Asked by Koji Yanai how it felt to be a grant recipient, Kattan said: “With everything happening in the world – from rising hate speech to harsh refugee policies – it sometimes feels like a heavy darkness. So being selected was like a small window of hope. I’m very thankful to the team behind the fund – Cate Blanchett, UNHCR, UNIQLO, Koji-san, HBF, and everyone who believed that our stories matter” 

Following the presentation, the panelists attended the United Nations Pavilion, hosted by Maher Nasser, Assistant Secretary-General and Commissioner-General of the United Nations at Expo 2025, where UNIQLO held an exhibition celebrating the third anniversary of their PEACE FOR ALL t-shirt charity project. The latest collection includes a collaboration together with actor Koji Yakusho, the proceeds of which are donated back to three core charities, including UNHCR.

“Cultivating and nurturing the ability to empathise”

Speaking earlier at the panel about his contribution, Yakusho said: “It is truly unfortunate, but wars are already happening all over the world, and the number of people who need refugee support is increasing. I sincerely hope that by cultivating and nurturing the ability to empathise with the pain of refugees, rather than thinking of these things as something happening in a faraway country, the world can become a place where everyone can truly live in harmony.”

Last month, the Cannes Film Festival featured a panel on the Displacement Film Fund, moderated by Stewart and featuring Cate Blanchett alongside two of the other awarded filmmakers – Maryna Er Gorbach and Mo Harawe – and Rajendra Roy, Chief Curator of Film at MoMA in New York and co-chair of the Academy’s International Film Award Executive Committee.