Falling for Sahara (2011)

Beniam, Ramsy and MJ are best friends, who spend their days at the Flemington housing commission flats they call home- who all share a combined love of football and the beautiful Sahara. Directed by Khoa Do, Falling for Sahara was scripted in conjunction with Do's cast of African-Australian actors, refugees recently arrived from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia. Funded by the Bill Hutchison Foundation with support from the Scanlon Foundation, Sidney Myer Fund and the Melbourne International Film Festival, the Essendon Football Club has been working with the Flemington Housing Estate for a number of years, including the promotion of harmonious activities through the Andrew Welsh AusKick program. Essendon's own Andrew Welsh stars in 'Falling for Sahara', playing the role of a local football coach in his debut film. 'Falling for Sahara' aims to raise awareness about the refugee experience to the wider Australian community, and highlights the important role sport - in particular AFL - plays in creating social cohesion for newly arrived communities in Australia. This week, the AFL launched Multicultural Round, a themed round to acknowledge and celebrate our game's cultural diversity. AFL Multicultural Round will celebrate 'Many Cultures. One Game' and highlights the community engagement initiatives currently being undertaken by the Australian football industry, as well as the many players from culturally diverse backgrounds, who make up nine per cent of the AFL playing list. Do was awarded 'Young Australian of the Year' in 2005 and 'Falling for Sahara' is the second film in his refugee trilogy.