Exile and Belonging

Migrants are those who have moved across borders, each with their own personal story of struggle and success, exile and belonging. Their own reasons for leaving behind homes and families. These stories often remain hidden, like many migrants compelled to endure life in the shadows, prevented from enjoying the rights and freedoms so many take for granted.

Anti-migrant discourse in the political sphere, the media and public debate have become commonplace, often for cheap political gains, or to boost sales and advertising revenue. Dividing societies into ‘us’ versus ‘them’ enables a justification of discrimination, hatred and violence against migrants. In the ultimate analysis, it is our societies that have the most to lose from spreading hatred.

Exile and Belonging showcases the unique stories of migrants, shedding light on the diversity of individual experiences of migrants from around the world. The film uses the voices of real people paired with animation. We have used animation to protect the identities of those who remain in a precarious legal situation related to their immigration status.

In Exile and Belonging, we see seven stories of migration. We meet siblings Mai Na and Choua, who fled Laos as children during the CIA’s secret war against communist forces in the 1970s. We meet Brian Chang, now a top financial analyst in the United States, who toiled in the work camps of Mao’s communist China. Moussa, another character, shares his story of walking from Gambia through the desert to help his family achieve a better life. Each story highlights the variety of migration experiences. Yet all are unified by the uniquely human audacity to imagine a better life.

Exile and Belonging was created with Hari Kondabolu, recently honored by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for his ability to unite people of all backgrounds and beliefs in laughter, while raising awareness about social justice and equality. The New York Times called Kondabolu “one of the most necessary political comedians working today… his material addresses culture and current events through a sharp lens of progressive politics and his clever, very funny perspective.”

Last, we created this film with the belief that through conversation with those we perceive as different, by listening to their experiences as individuals, we recognize that we share a universal human longing to belong and to live with dignity. We have far more in common than that which divides us, a critical reminder in today’s divisive atmosphere.