In her new documentary, The Challengers, filmmaker Rhonda Chan Soo said she was drawn to the idea that everyday people can make a difference in the lives of others. And that through individual and collective action, we can create the kind of world we want to see.
Chan Soo, 34, describes The Challengers as a short documentary film telling the story of an “everyday hero,” volleyball coach Kanhai "Perry" Sirjoo, who is pushing for the integration of Venezuelan players into national volleyball leagues. It is a celebration of how inclusion and integration of refugees and migrants can benefit their host community.
Originally, the rules of the TT Volleyball Federation said only TT nationals were allowed to compete in tournaments. Sirjoo petitioned the board to change the rules, which they did. She explained that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had been working with The Challengers, which is a positive example of the power of sports for integration.
“After Nearest Neighbours (her 2019 documentary about the lives of Venezuelan refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants) I was in touch with the UNHCR and they were interested in collaborating to continue the work of storytelling on the experiences of the Venezuelan refugee and migrant community.”
[caption id="attachment_991567" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Volleyball coach Kanhai "Perry" Sirjoo in a screenshot from the short documentary film, The Challengers, by Rhonda Chan Soo. -[/caption]
The Challengers was funded by the UNHCR, UN Human Settlement Programme, and the UN’s International Organization for Migration, with the support of the European Union’s Inclusive Cities, Communities of Solidarity programme.
The aim of Inclusive Cities is to contribute to reducing the vulnerabilities of the Venezuelan community and increase the resilience of the host communities in which the project is being implemented.
Chan Soo added that the volleyball team has been beneficial because it provided Venezuelan migrants with an outlet.
“It’s an important source of community for them, sort of like a family. It’s an escape and a source of recreation. They support each other in different ways, using their network for finding work or if they are in need of food or any necessity. I can’t overemphasise the importance of that sense of belonging or having a community, which is exactly what the team provides for them.”
One local volleyball player told the film crew a lot of people he knew were sceptical of the Venezuelan refugees and migrants but, as he became more exposed to them through volleyball, he understood they were there for the love of the sport, that they are just like everyone else, trying to work hard to support their families, but their options were very limited.
“My passion is documentary film and storytelling so if there is a need, or there are certain stories and topics that come up and can be addressed, and there is a small amount of funding available to make the work, I’m happy to do it.”
Chan Soo said the topic of migration has a lot
