Welcome to Canada is a short film about Mohammed Alsaleh, a young Syrian refugee granted asylum in Canada after fleeing his war-torn homeland. Via Short of the Week:
Mohammed Alsaleh, in a strict story sense, is a fabulous character. A young, idealistic Syrian, he abandoned his quest to work to solve cancer after being tortured by the Assad regime. Receiving amnesty from the Canadian government, he emigrated early in the war to Vancouver, where he now works with a government agency to settle incoming refugee families in his adopted home. His sense of purpose and mission is strong, and his energy and warmth is admirable, but underneath the exterior is the pain of trauma, and the deep loneliness of being separated from his family.
Yes, Alsaleh’s story is important. Countries around the world have been shamefully reticent to extend welcoming arms to the millions of refugees displaced, and in my country the President-elect proposed a blanket ban on anyone from Muslim-dominated countries. It is useful to shine a light on the numerous decent, caring and hurting peoples whom these policies condemn. Humanizing the other and fostering empathy is one of the things that film as a medium is unusually well-suited to accomplish.