On Tuesday, October 6 newportFILM will present a special free screening of UNBOWED, an intimate documentary following the extraordinary life and work of Rhode Island refugee advocate Dr. Omar Bah at Hope High School Auditorium in Providence.

This free community screening will feature a post-film conversation with directors Mae Gammino and David H. Wells, alongside Refugee Dream Center Founder Dr. Omar Bah and Executive Director Teddi Jallow.

The screening is presented in partnership with Hope High School’s Film Production Program, where newportFILM serves as an industry partner supporting students interested in film and media production.

“Everyone at Hope High is excited to welcome newportFILM to Providence. We look forward to the opportunities this new collaboration will create for our film students,” said Maggie Anderson, Director of Arts and Development at Hope High School.

Through the year-round partnership, newportFILM provides students with hands-on work-based learning opportunities, professional mentorship, technical workshops, and direct experience in film and event production. Working alongside Hope High students and educators, the collaboration supports aspiring filmmakers while expanding access to documentary storytelling and media education.

Directed by Mae Gammino and David H. Wells, UNBOWED tells the story of Dr. Omar Bah, who became a journalist after walking into a newspaper office in his home country of The Gambia and offering to help expose government corruption. His reporting ultimately made him a target of the regime of then-President Yahya Jammeh. After being tortured and learning that a bounty had been placed on his head, Bah fled the country and was eventually resettled in Rhode Island as a refugee.

“I’m thrilled to partner with newportFILM again, as well as with students in Hope High School’s Film Production Program. This is my second Rhode Island-based documentary focused on a significant Rhode Islander, Dr. Omar Bah, whose remarkable story and work challenge current ideas about the value of refugees and immigrants. UNBOWED offers an opportunity to see what resettlement can become when hope is turned into meaningful action,” said Mae Gammino, Director of UNBOWED.

Bah’s experience as a refugee transformed the course of his life. Today, he is an activist, advocate, author, and founder of the Refugee Dream Center, a Rhode Island-based organization dedicated to supporting refugees as they rebuild their lives in the United States.

“My story in UNBOWED is a reflection of the true possibilities of the American dream. It takes viewers along the journey of a young immigrant beginning his life from scratch in the United States and using his lived experiences to support many others. It is a testament to resilience, growth, and the power of the good that a community can do. It is an opportunity for viewers to see themselves in the goodness that can be done for neighbors, friends, and the country at large,” said Dr. Omar Bah, founder of the Refugee Dream Center and subject of UNBOWED.

Rather than focusing solely on the hardship of displacement or a traditional story of success after resettlement, UNBOWED explores the many dimensions of Bah’s life—as a husband and father, former refugee, community leader, and advocate. Through his family and his work at the Refugee Dream Center, the film offers a broader portrait of what it means to rebuild a life while helping others do the same.

Reflecting on the experience of filming Bah, David H. Wells, Director of UNBOWED, said, “He is one of the most alive people I have ever met. The camera didn’t have to do much except keep up.”

The documentary follows Bah’s journey as it comes full circle, exploring how he confronts the exile and displacement that shaped his life and ultimately redefines his relationship with the country he was forced to leave.

Following the screening, audiences will hear directly from filmmakers Mae Gammino and David H. Wells; Dr. Omar Bah, founder of the Refugee Dream Center; and Teddi Jallow, Executive Director of the Refugee Dream Center. The conversation will be moderated by Jessica Brown, Associate Professor at Rhode Island School of Design.

This event is FREE and open to the public.

To RSVP, visit newportfilm.com/films/unbowed.

Event Schedule

6:00 PM
Doors Open

6:30 PM
Film Begins

7:20 PM
Post-Film Conversation with Mae Gammino and David H. Wells (Directors); Dr. Omar Bah (Founder, The Refugee Dream Center); and Teddi Jallow (Executive Director, The Refugee Dream Center), moderated by Jessica Brown (Associate Professor, Rhode Island School of Design)

For more information, please go to

https://newportfilm.com/films/unbowed/

About newportFILM

newportFILM is a year-round nonprofit whose mission is to build community and propel change through documentary film. For more information, visit www.newportfilm.com