"Asylum Seekers" had its world premiere at the European Film Market on the first day of the 59th Berlin International Film Festival, which was held from February 5 until February 15, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. The film was then screened on June 13 and 14 at the 2009 CineVegas International Film Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. During CineVegas, the film's public relations representative arranged for a wedding to take place on the red carpet immediately before the film's initial showing at the Palms Casino Resort. The film's director Rania Ajami explained the reasoning behind the stunt claiming that the "two institutions, the institution of marriage and the mental institution in which the majority of film is set, were sufficient bonding agents". Further, the Red Carpet wedding was a Las Vegas-centric experience, "couples come to Las Vegas to marry, see shows, Elvis impersonators," Ms. Ajami explained. "We stayed true to the locale of the festival, and created a crazy all Vegas show for a Vegas festival." The bride and groom we're from Houston, Texas and were selected because they were young, and self-proclaimed "fun" people, which matched the demographic of the film. The infamous Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas helped select the suitable couple.