New Voices from Wales

The former mining community of Ystradgynlais, nestled in the Swansea Valley, has a long history of welcoming communities from across the world. In 2019, brothers Aboudi and Ahmad moved to the town with their family after fleeing the Syrian civil war, joining the ranks of several refugee families who now call Ystradgynlais home.

Refuge follows the brothers as they recount their flight from war-torn Homs, to finding temporary refuge in Lebanon, before being permanently resettled in Wales by the UK government. The brothers discuss their memories of Syria, the difficult decision to leave their home and their excitement at finding out they had been accepted by the UK Home Office for resettlement.

The documentary similarly explores the story of Josef Herman, a Polish-Jewish artist who lived in Ystradgynlais for 11 years. Herman fled from Nazi-occupied Brussels during World War Two and came to the UK – like Aboudi and Ahmad - as a refugee of war. He was similarly welcomed by the local community, and came to be fondly known as ‘Joe Bach' (‘Little Joe').