Screening of documentary The Perfect Story to help raise funds for group helping Afghan refugee
Journalist and documentary filmmaker Michelle Shephard will attend a screening of her most recent film The Perfect Story at a fundraising event this month in support of a local group helping to bring an Afghan refugee to Canada.
The screening of The Perfect Story is set for Wednesday, Jan. 31, at 6:30 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 1/42 at 243 Coxwell Ave.
Journalist Anna Maria Tremonti will discuss the film and its making with Sheppard following the screening of The Perfect Story. Both Tremonti and Shephard are award-winning journalists.
The documentary tells the story of Shephard’s coverage of Somali refugee Ismael Abdulle.
“The Perfect Story offers a riveting, intimate look at the ethical and moral challenges sparked by the relationship between a foreign correspondent and a young Somali refugee. By revealing the boundaries of journalism and filmmaking, the film questions what stories are told, why, and who gets to tell them,” said the description of the documentary on Shephard’s website.
The screening is being held in support of fundraising efforts by a group of East Toronto residents to help a young man from Afghanistan join his cousin in Canada.
The young man and his cousin are referred to by the names “Amir” and “Hassan”, which are not their real names as making them public might endanger Amir who is still in Afghanistan.
“Hassan escaped from Afghanistan at the age of 17 after his father was killed by the Taliban. Now Hassan and a group of his new friends are trying to help his cousin Amir join him in Canada,” said the group of residents who are raising the funds.
“Amir is the eldest of four siblings and is part of the visible ethnic minority group, Hazara, who have been attacked by the Taliban, in what many are calling a genocide. Amir’s high school was bombed in early 2022. Luckily, he was not harmed, but his family fears for his safety.”
The group is trying to bring Amir to Canada by using the private citizen sponsorship program for refugees.
“In accordance with the program, we need to raise $16.5K CAD in order to submit the application to Canadian immigration. This money is held in trust for Amir to use in his first year in Canada,” said the group on its GoFundMe page.
Members of Amir’s fundraising team include Hassan, Ruth, Harry, Caroline, Kathleen, Anne, Kim, Carole, Paula, Janvier, Chris, Marc, Gail and Patrick.
The Jan. 31 screening of The Perfect Story is part of their fundraising efforts.
Tickets for the screening and talk with Tremonti and Shephard are $22.63, and can be purchased on EventBrite by going to
Residents who would like to help but are unable to attend the screening can contribute to the fund for Amir by visiting the GoFundMe campaign at https://gofund.me/b3e64407.
