Documentary On Aurora Nonprofit Screens In France 2 Years After Cannes Film Festival Award

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) -- A Colorado story found itself in Cannes, France. That's where a documentary about an Aurora nonprofit was screened recently. The screening happened two years after it won an award at Cannes Film Festival.

Documentary "My Father's House" tells the story of a church in Aurora and how it became the Village Exchange Center on Havana Street. The center became a space of multi-faith worship, and a safe place for refugees and immigrants to create a new life in Colorado.

"My Father's House" won the Cannes jury award for best documentary in 2020. But because of the pandemic, the screening was postponed.

"We screened it this morning," said Amanda Blaurock, the documentary's co-producer and the nonprofit's executive director. "And to see everyone both laugh and cry at certain parts and have so many people come up to us and say how wonderful this film was, it's very inspiring. Not just as a film where it stands, but as an ongoing executive director of the Village Exchange Center, it's incredible to see how inspiring the story is, and the responses from so many people. It was really beautiful.

For 5 years now, the Village Exchange Center has offered everything from cultural support to legal services for internationally displaced families in the Denver-Aurora area.