The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UME Studios, and ICCEHS
Convene First-of-Its-Kind Event at the World Economic Forum
“Darkness to Light Illuminates Davos With a Human Message of Hope, Unity, and Dignity”
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND —At the World Economic Forum, an impactful film screening called for dignity in a world of division.
At a moment when more than 120 million people worldwide are forcibly displaced and global discourse risks reducing human lives to statistics, the documentary Darkness to Light: When Technology Heals Generations brought a deeply human message of remembrance, dignity, and hope to the annual gathering.
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In a rare and first-of-its-kind cultural convening at Davos, the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a special screening of the acclaimed documentary and “welcomed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to highlight the principle of family unity and refugee family reunification,” was followed by a high-level dialogue with Greek-American filmmaker and technologist Victoria Bousis, Dr. Nidal A. Shoukeir Executive Director of the International Committee on Countering Extremist and Hate Speech (ICCEHS), and Dr. Dimitrios Salampasis, Associate Professor of Emerging Technologies and FinTech.
“At a forum traditionally defined by data, policy frameworks, and macroeconomic solutions, Darkness to Light reframes the conversation through a single human story rooted in truth and a lived experience, embodying the World Economic Forum’s theme of the Spirit of Dialogue,” said Victoria Bousis.
She added, “The film explores how immersive storytelling can bridge generational trauma, restore memory, and humanize dialogue in a world increasingly torn by fragmentation through human-centric innovation. By amplifying the voices of refugees through a human lens, we can create real-world impact by bringing awareness to the human cost of global displacement, the dangers of dehumanizing rhetoric around refugees, and reimagine a shared future rooted in empathy and global responsibility.”
The screening was followed by a moderated conversation examining how storytelling, emerging technology, and policy can intersect to restore human connection and dignity at a time of historic global displacement—ensuring that policy dialogue around displacement, ethical technology, and global cooperation remained anchored in empathy and an understanding of the human lives they are meant to serve.
A dynamic panel titled “Breaking Silence, Rebuilding Human Connection: Storytelling and Emerging Technology as Ethical Catalysts for Family Reunification and Human Dignity at a Time of Historic Displacement” anchored the discussion, using the film as a case study in ethical innovation. Moderated by Dr. Dimitrios Salampasis, Associate Professor of Emerging Technologies and FinTech at Swinburne University of Technology, the panel featured Victoria Bousis and Dr. Nidal A. Shoukeir, Executive Board Director of ICCEHS. Together, they demonstrated how immersive technology can preserve memory, humanize policy conversations, reconnect families separated by conflict, and foster healing across generations.
Bousis continued, “It was a true privilege to sit alongside Dr. Dimitrios Salampasis and Dr. Nidal A. Shoukeir, whose insights and optimism for humanity reflected the very values this convening sought to advance.”
“Extremism, hate, and division flourish when people are reduced to numbers and stripped of their stories,” said Dr. Nidal A. Shoukeir. “The challenge is never the technology itself, but how we choose to use it. Technology offers humanity new perspectives and powerful opportunities, yet it is our responsibility to ensure it serves human values rather than erodes them. Before attempting to humanize machines, we must first humanize ourselves—our professions, our practices, and our daily habits. I commend Victoria Bousis for humanizing her craft and placing technology at the service of a profoundly human cause, offering survivors and audiences alike a rare and deeply emotional space for remembrance, connection, and healing. At a time when societies are struggling to counter radicalization, hate speech, and historical erasure, immersive storytelling such as Darkness to Light is not just a film—it is a necessary global message, reminding policymakers, educators, and communities alike that preventing extremism begins with restoring humanity.”
“In the fragile landscape of displacement, storytelling and emerging technologies converge as powerful forces exposing political, humanitarian and ethical failures,” said Prof. Dimitrios Salampasis. “Storytelling honors lived experience as evidence, truth and inheritance. Emerging technologies must be ethically designed with care, accountability and empathy in order to offer new ways to trace connections, preserve memories and bridge what displacement has torn apart. By bringing a values-driven approach, storytelling and emerging technologies can reimagine reunification as a deeply moral act. Darkness to Light demonstrates our shared responsibility to one another, moving towards a future where reunification is not merely possible, but just, humane and worthy of our shared humanity.”
Reflecting on the importance of cultural diplomacy, Minister Haris Theoharis, Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economics, stated: “At a time when global challenges demand greater understanding and cooperation, Darkness to Light powerfully demonstrates how storytelling and emerging technology can humanize policy and foster meaningful dialogue, reflecting the Spirit of Dialogue emphasized at this year’s World Economic Forum. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is proud to support a documentary and Greek-American filmmaker that underscores how culture, innovation, and policy can work together to strengthen international cooperation while placing humanity at the center of global discourse.”
About the film..
Darkness to Light: When Technology Heals Generations is a visceral, powerful, and deeply personal documentary told through the eyes of a 14-year-old Cambodian girl. The film invites audiences into a survivor’s memoir through virtual reality—breaking decades of silence to reveal an odyssey of love, loss, atonement, and remembrance. Weaving archival footage, global testimonials, and behind-the-scenes moments from the creation of the award-winning immersive virtual reality experience Stay Alive My Son, the film chronicles Bousis’s return to Cambodia on the 50th anniversary of the genocide, illustrating how immersive storytelling can serve as a catalyst for policy reflection and renewed human connection across generations and borders.
Prior to Davos, the documentary screened privately in London, New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and was joined by Vicki Tennant, UNHCR’s Representative to the United Kingdom and endorsed by iconic fashion designer and philanthropist Diane von Furstenberg, Former Chief of Staff to President Obama Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, and Creative Artists Agency (CAA), underscore its resonance across cultural, humanitarian leadership, and policy spheres.
For more information: info@iccehs.org | www.ume.ai