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Be a Rainbow

At the end of a twenty year war in Afghanistan, the U.S. evacuated 100,000 Afghans, many of whom aided Americans as interpreters, translators. To enlist “Welcomers” to help settle refugees displaced by the war in Afghanistan, we used the simple metaphor from Dr. Maya Angelou’s poem “Be a rainbow in somebody’s cloud”.

Recording of Dr Maya Angelou's "Be a rainbow" that formed the soundtrack to droga5's Welcome.US spot
An Afghan girl seeks refuge in the US with her family in Welcome.US spot by droga5
An Afghan father finds refuge in the US with his family in Welcome.US spot by droga5
 
 

A mixture of CG elements and New York Times editorial of the 2021 Kabul airlift formed the base of our black and white animation. Rainbow light flickering in the storm provided the symbol of the hope that awaited the refugees in the United States. 

 
 
CGI and archival news footage combined to provide a base to animate droga5's Welcome.US spot "Be a Rainbow"
Resulting sketch from droga5's Welcome.US spot "Be a Rainbow"
Cels of Afghan girl on the plane, from droga5's Welcome.US spot "Be a Rainbow"
International news coverage of droga5's Welcome.US spot "Be a Rainbow"
Archival news footage that provided the base to animate droga5's Welcome.US spot "Be a Rainbow"
Resulting sketch from droga5's Welcome.US spot "Be a Rainbow"
Barack Obama's tweet of droga5's Welcome.US spot "Be a Rainbow"
 
 

The work helped America’s evacuation efforts shine on the international stage, while at home former president Barack Obama tweeted the film on World Refugee Day, amplifying the call for Welcomers, all with no media spend.

 
PR of droga5's Welcome.US spot "Be a Rainbow"