Last month, a heartbreaking photograph of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi's dead body washing up on the shore of Turkey was published by media outlets worldwide. He had fled his home in war-torn Syria with his mother, brother and father. Only his father survived the journey.

Alan was just one of thousands of refugees who have died trying to escape conflict zones. Europe is said to be facing its worst refugee crisis since World War II, and around the globe there are currently 59.5 million forcibly displaced people including 19.5 million refugees and 1.8 million asylum seekers.

To give people in Japan a closer look at the harsh reality that these refugees are facing, the Japan office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is hosting its 10th Refugee Film Festival from Friday in Tokyo, Sapporo and Sendai.