THE HEARING
93 min., Documentary, Québec, Canada, 2023Directed byÉmilie B. Guérette & Peggy Nkunga Ndona
Produced byColonelle films - Justine Chevarie-Cossette, Fanny Drew, Sarah Mannering
LanguagesFrench, Lingala
Having fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Peggy, Simon and their children seek political asylum in Canada after a dangerous migration route. The film delves in the daily life of the family over one year, as they go through the complex legal maze of claiming asylum.
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Film details
Synopsis
After crossing 11 countries irregularly to seek asylum in Canada, Peggy, Simon and their three children are waiting for the hearing that will determine whether they get refugee status or not. Having fled political repression in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the family tries to rebuild a peaceful life in Montreal, in spite of the constant threat of deportation. Between ghosts from the past, hopes for the future and a complex legal maze, the film delves into the struggle of the Nkunga Mbala family to remain in Canada. Offering unprecedented access to their hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board, the film unveils the opaque process of claiming asylum in Canada.
Crew
Script writer : Émilie Beaulieu-Guérette
Cinematography : Glauco Bermudez, Etienne Roussy
Art design : Nathalie Dubé
Editing : Ariane Pétel-Despots, Natacha Dufaux
Sound design : Marie-Pierre Grenier
Sound mix : Bruno Bélanger
Music : Daniel Baillargeon
Sound : René Portillo, Juan Fernandez
Direction
Émilie B. Guérette
A nomadic filmmaker, Émilie B. Guérette has her roots in Quebec and her heart in Brazil. After studying Anthropology (Master EHESS/Paris) and Documentary filmmaking (INIS/Montreal), she chose documentary cinema as a weapon against injustice and as a love declaration towards the excluded of this world. Her first feature film The Other Rio, awarded in many festivals, delves in the daily life of the forgotten people of the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Her work seeks to shed light on marginalized populations and narratives. Combining social engagement and formal poetry, her sensitive and sensory approach aims at building bridges between human beings. The Hearing, co-directed with Peggy Nkunga Ndona, is his second feature documentary.
Filmography
THE HEARING, 93 min, Documentary, 2023
THE OTHER RIO, 88 min, Documentary, 2017
MARITIMES VOICES, Web serie, 2016
WAITING FOR OKTAY, 11 min, Documentary, 2012
OLD ORCHARD BLUES, 4 min, Documentary, 2012
Peggy Nkunga Ndona
Peggy Nkunga Ndona comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she was an actress and freelance journalist before having to leave her country. After her graduate studies in Social Communication at the University of Kinshasa, she worked with the NGO Search for Common Ground and acted in fiction television series, including L’Équipe. She was part of the theater company Les Béjarts and co-founded the company Mwikka Théâtre (Kinshasa). Since 2018, Peggy has been living in Montreal with her family and working as a daycare educator. In The Hearing, her first documentary film, she shares her own story as an asylum seeker in Canada. Spreading joy and good humor is her life mission.
Filmography
THE HEARING, 93 min, Documentary, 2023