Hamwe

Directed by Laura Kamugisha

Outaouais, summer 1996. Solange, a 23-year-old Rwandan refugee, finds political asylum in Hull with her four-year-old daughter Lisa. Their integration process is fraught with obstacles and nothing goes as planned. Solange forges a friendship with Nyota, her Congolese-born neighbor, who helps her navigate her new home. From the heavy heat of summer to the first snowflakes of winter, Hamwe follows the pivotal moments of Solange and Lisa's journey towards permanent residency. Together is an ode to the land of welcome that is Quebec, but also to the resilience of my mother and the millions of other political refugees and economic immigrants.