Dreamers

Dreamers

After Isio fled Nigeria due to her homosexuality and lived in England without papers, she is picked up and taken to an asylum centre. She hopes for a fair hearing as long as she adheres strictly to the rules. Her charismatic flatmate Farah, however, thinks this is a naïve mistake. While Isio inevitably gets used to life in the centre, she falls in love with Farah and makes friends with the other women. Their escape fantasies initially seem absurd to Isio, but when she herself is repeatedly thrown back by the system and the promise of a new life is threatened, it becomes clear that the time has come to play by her own rules. In ‘Dreamers’, Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor also deals with her own experience of the British asylum system.

Naima

Naima

NAIMA – a heroine abroad

After many years working in the low-paid sector, the charming Naima, originally from Venezuela, has finally landed a job as an apprentice nurse. … But her happiness comes up against harsh reality: the patients love her empathetic humour, but her colleagues criticise her professional distance. When Naima fails her placement, her world collapses. But then she embarks on her toughest battle yet: standing up for herself.

We look behind a façade of prejudice and show a fighter who is looking for the right path to integration for herself and for many others. Naima should give courage not only to migrants, but also to all those fighting for their place in society.

Naima is a heroine of such strength and vitality that you fall in love with her charm from the very first moment. Dok Leipzig, Vika Leshchenko

In the media, migrants often appear as a threatening group, but we rarely learn who they really are. NAIMA shows the struggles and untapped potential that many still carry with them, even after years in their new country. NAIMA reflects the individual fates of many migrants who, unlike ‘expatriates’, go abroad with completely different circumstances. Unrecognised qualifications and difficult access to training often prevent them from developing their potential and finding their place in society. This often results in health problems, particularly psychological ones, which constitute a vicious circle for their professional and family lives.

Promotional partners

Milchjugend.chMilchjugend.chMultimondo | Association Découvrir | Espace Femmes | Universtität Zürich Latin American Center ZurichAlter StartEffe | Frida | Ville de Bienne

 

Blue Sun Palace

Blue Sun Palace

A powerful film about home, hope, and destiny.

In a massage parlor in Queens, thousands of kilometers from home, two friends, Amy and Didi, support each other through their daily work—shaped by the pursuit of personal happiness and the weight of family obligations. Together with their colleagues, they share a tender and supportive sisterhood. But the physical and emotional toll of their demanding jobs is ever-present. After Didi’s tragic death, Amy must take her fate into her own hands.

Promotional Partners
Swiss-Chinese Chamber of CommerceRomandie ChineChinese Community Switzerland

The Shameless

The Shameless

A story of forbidden love and unwavering will

Renuka flees from a brothel in Delhi in the middle of the night, takes on the name of a Hindu goddess and goes into hiding in a community of sex workers in northern India. There she meets Devika, who is much younger and dreams of becoming a rapper. However, she is condemned to continue the tradition of her caste as a prostitute.

A tender but forbidden romance develops between Renuka and Devika – and conflict is inevitable. The two women overcome huge hurdles and make great sacrifices on their journey to freedom. When their situation leaves them no choice, murder is also a means of defence.

This suspense-packed thriller shows people on the margins of society and provides an insight into a part of Indian society.

Anasuya Sengupta received the Best Actress Award at Cannes for her performance in this film.

Gabriel Lobos is nominated for the Swiss Film Prize for Best Cinematography.

Promotional Partners
Médecins du Monde Suisse