Utica: The Last Refuge

Directed by Loch Phillipps

Utica: The Last Refuge tracks the Azeins, a Sudanese family, from touchdown at the Syracuse airport in 2017 through their first years in Utica. They have landed amidst unprecedented upheaval in US refugee policy. The Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees has to take care of them and other new arrivals while simultaneously fighting for its own survival. The film demonstrates Utica's resilience and commitment to these vulnerable families, who are, in turn, essential to the city’s rebirth.