Closing Night

Somewhere Near Tapachula

Sunday 14 March 5.00pm Heritage Theatre

Farewell the Heart of Gold International Film Festival for 2010 by joining us for this inspiring documentary featuring a special couple from the Gympie region.

Alan and Pamela Skuse originally from Cooroy arrived in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico in November 2000 to spend 12 months volunteering at an orphanage. The organisation they came to help closed down within 6 months so Pam and Alan were left with the dilemma of what to do regarding the children in their care.?? “Do we just leave and let the children go back to the streets and lives of abuse after giving them a taste of what life could be like or do we take on this huge responsibility with no resources to support us? It didn´t take long to realize that we could not abandon these kids and because we could see that there was such a great need in this area of work, we decided to stay.” Alan and Pam ‘stepped out’ and established their own refuge, Albergue Mision Mexico, Dando, Amor, Vida y Esperanza (Mission Mexico Refuge, Giving Love, Life and Hope) to care for the children and have dedicated their lives to doing this work. The children who come to the refuge have been abandoned, abused, neglected or orphaned and are often from backgrounds of extreme poverty. The number of children in their care changes constantly, but on average they care for 50 children on a permanent basis. Since the refuge was established Pam and Alan have helped around 250 children from various circumstances of need.

Somewhere Near Tapachula is a truly inspiring story of love, life and hope that will open your eyes to the important things in life. It looks at the horrific childhoods of 45 kids, their new life at Mision Mexico Refuge, and the exciting future of following their dreams. It also focuses on the unique surf community that they have pioneered in Tapachula, a coastal city with no other wave riders. To these kids the ocean is not just a place of fun, it’s an escape from what life used to be.

Tickets $14.00 Adult; $10.00 Concession – $3.00 from every ticket sold to this session will be donated to Mision Mexico Refuge. Buy Now.

Please Note: There are no free tickets to Somewhere Near Tapachula.