Starting Over

Approximately 1 in 5 people living in Utica today is a refugee. Why has Utica been called The Town that Loves Refugees? And do those refugees love Utica back?

Communities of Nepali, Bhutanese, Somali, and Bosnian refugees, just to name a few, have been starting new lives in recent years, bringing their own cultures, customs and cuisines to this small upstate NY city.

Starting Over is a short film that focuses on what it’s like for a group of Nepali refugees to leave their homeland, in many cases live for years in refugee camps, and finally begin a new life in a foreign country. We spoke with members of the refugee community, their families and those who work with refugees in the Utica area to better understand their stories, struggles and successes.

Starting Over was created in conjunction with a larger project, Refugees Starting Over in Utica – a series of events celebrating and sharing the stories of refugee resettlement in Utica, NY happening October through December 2012. Learn much more about the refugee community by visiting StartingOverUtica.com

Written, filmed, and edited by Ryan Miller & Geoff Storm

Starting Over Extras