Center for Spiritual Wisdom and the St. Philips Social Concerns Committee invite you to a screening of Refuge, a powerful documentary about reconciliation and hope, on Sunday, November 9, from 1:30 to 4:00 PM at St. Philips Miller Hall in Brevard. Suggested donation is $8.
“The Center’s Reel Spirit Movie Project aims to engage the community with film screenings and discussions, and this will be the Project’s fifth live screening and first at St. Philips,” said event coordinator and Center Associate, Terry Decker. “It’s a compelling film, produced right in our backyard in north Georgia, and its themes are timeless.”
Directed by Erin Bernhardt and Din Blankenship, Refuge tells the unforgettable story of two men in Clarkston, Georgia. Chris Buckley, a former KKK member and Afghanistan veteran, and Dr. Heval Kelli, a Kurdish refugee from Syria, begin an unlikely journey toward friendship and healing. What begins as a tentative meeting between two people from opposite worlds grows into a story of redemption, reconciliation, and shared humanity. Along the way, we meet figures like “Mama Amina,” a beloved matriarch in the Clarkston Muslim community, who reminds us that peace is possible when hearts remain open.
Far from sensationalist, Refuge is a straightforward and deeply human film. It highlights the painful realities of white supremacy while also pointing to the possibility of change, showing that even those entrenched in hatred are not beyond redemption. The film offers a vision of unity and hope, inviting us to believe in transformation and reconciliation.
The documentary runs one hour and eighteen minutes, leaving time afterward for shared reflections and discussion.