Sands Point, New York: Celebrities Support FilmAid International in Sands Point

On January 31, actress Julia Ormond and film producer Caroline Baron -- co-chairs of FilmAid International -- joined host Mona Davis at her home in Sands Point, New York for a fundraising cocktail evening. Founded by Baron in 1999 after a radio report about Kosovar refugees in Macedonian camps, FilmAid brings outdoor film screenings to refugee camps worldwide. Celebrity supporters include Paul Newman, Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Throughout the evening, a large screen showed footage of FilmAid's work. Baron explained the rationale: “Refugees' needs are not an either/or situation. Films help them fight the hunger of their minds which occurs when people receive no outside stimulation.” In Macedonia, the mobile film unit reached 4,000 Kosovar refugees a night and delivered life-saving landmine warnings; the UNHCR and International Rescue Committee subsequently invited FilmAid to expand to Africa, where it was working simultaneously in Kenya and Tanzania.

Ormond, who had just received the World Economic Forum's Crystal Award in Davos for her humanitarian work, spoke of shifting public perception. “Some people think of refugees as 'those people.' We need to change their attitude -- 'those people' include doctors, lawyers, and teachers.” At the time of the fundraiser, FilmAid's Kenya operations -- costing just $17,000 a month -- depended on donations from the Sands Point and Manhattan events to survive through May.