Samba
M
France, 2014
Genre: Drama
Language: Arabic, French, English
Director: Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
Starring: Tahar Rahim, Omar Sy, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Liya Kebede, Adel Bencherif
What's it about?
When a bureaucratic slip-up lands him in detention awaiting deportation, Samba Cissé, a Senegalese national living in France, crosses paths with Alice, who’s doing volunteer work in an effort to revitalise her life. As the unlikely pair keep being thrown together, it occurs to them they’ve a lot more to offer each other than they may’ve anticipated. With its warmth and humour, it’ll come as no surprise that Samba is from the creators of The Intouchables, also starring Omar Sy.
Streaming until 13 July 2021.
Lina From Lima
MA15+
Chile, 2019
Genre: Drama
Language: Quechua
Director: María Paz González
Starring: Cecilia Cartasegna, Emilia Ossandon, Sebastián Brahm
What's it about?
Lina, like many other migrant Peruvian women in Chile, supports her own family back home by working for someone else’s in Santiago. This year, preparing for her annual Christmas trip to see her teenage son, Lina realises with annoyed surprise that he doesn’t need her the way he once did. Feeling a bit emotionally displaced, she begins a different kind of journey to redefine herself as she explores her own desires and identity.
Kita Kita
PG
Philippines, 2017
Genre: Comedy
Language: Filipino
Director: Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo
Starring: Alessandra De Rossi, Empoy Marquez
What's it about?
Kita Kita (I See You) tells the story of Lea and Tonyo, two Filipinos living in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Lea is a Velo taxi tour guide. She suffers an accident which leads to her being affected by temporary blindness. Her blindness, if not cured in a few weeks, could become permanent. Tonyo lives right across from Lea. Lea tries her best to ignore him at first because she is scared of not seeing him. But Tonyo is determined to be her friend, using humour and kindness to make a connection.
The Other Side of Hope
M
Finland, Germany, 2017
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Language: Arabic, English, Finnish, Swedish
Director: Aki Kaurismaki
Starring: Ville Virtanen, Kati Outinen, Tommi Eronen
What's it about?
Set against the current refugee crisis, this bittersweet comedy by Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki follows two people searching for a place to call home. Displaced Syrian Khaled lands in Helsinki as a stowaway; meanwhile, middle-aged salesman Wikström leaves behind his wife and job and buys a conspicuously unprofitable seafood restaurant. After Khaled is denied asylum, he decides not to return to Aleppo - and the paths of the two men cross fortuitously.
Shinjuku Incident
MA15+
Hong Kong, 2009
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime, Action, Mobster
Language: Mandarin, Japanese, Cantonese, English
Director: Tung-Shing Yee
Starring: Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu
What's it about?
A Chinese labourer migrates to Japan in the hope of finding his girlfriend, who vanished soon after arriving in Tokyo. Living off small jobs, he soon finds himself involved with a powerful criminal organisation, from which there is no turning back.
Tazzeka
M
France, Morocco, 2018
Genre: Comedy
Language: French
Director: Jean-Philippe Gaud
Starring: Madi Belem, Ouidad Elma, Adama Diop, Abbes Zahmani
What's it about?
Growing up in the Moroccan village of Tazzeka, Elias learned the secrets of traditional Moroccan cuisine from his grandmother who raised him. Years later, meeting a top Paris chef and a young woman named Salma inspires him to leave home. In Paris, Elias faces unstable work and financial hardship as an undocumented immigrant. But he also finds friendship with Souleymane, who helps revive his passion for cooking.
[link title="Dinner and a movie: Moroccan food and ‘Tazzeka’" url="node/205835"]
Streaming from 21 June until 20 July.
Little Jerusalem
M
France, 2005
Genre: Drama
Language: French, Arabic, Hebrew
Director: Karin Albou
Starring: Fanny Valette, Elsa Zylberstein
What's it about?
Laura is a young orthodox Jewess who lives in a run-down suburb of Paris known as Little Jerusalem. Her love of Hashem and the Torah is only matched by her love of philosophy of which she is a dedicated student. Her sexual awakening puts her at odds with her faith, especially when she falls madly in love with a Muslim colleague. But his disapproving relatives will not give him the support he needs, being an illegal immigrant. Meanwhile, her sister Mathilde is experiencing her own struggles with the confines of her faith. She does not believe the Torah condones sexual pleasure, which leaves her husband frustrated and drives him into the arms of another woman. She finally seeks guidance and information from a senior woman of her faith who does not listen to gossip or superstition.
Apart Together
PG
China, 2010
Genre: Drama
Language: Mandarin
Director: Wang Quan An
Starring: Lisa Lu, Ling Feng, Xu Caigen
What's it about?
Liu returns to his native city Shanghai after 50 years in Taiwan. He has come to find the first love of his life, Qiao, who he left behind pregnant. In the meantime, Qiao has married and built a family. But Liu is determined to get the family’s approval to take her away with him.
A Season in France
M
France, 2018
Genre: Drama
Language: French
Director: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Starring: Eriq Ebouaney, Sandrine Bonnaire, Aalayna Lys
What's it about?
Abbas, a high school teacher in the Central African Republic, has fled his war-torn country with his two children. They now live in France, where Abbas works at a food market, while applying for political asylum. A French woman, Carole, falls in love with him and offers a roof for him and his family. When Abbas’ application is rejected, they face a crucial decision.
[link title="'A Season in France' Examines Immigrant Issues" url="node/155005"]
Streaming until 10 July 2021.
