Wanakam (2005)

Many Tamil refugees, even after years in Switzerland, still have only temporary residence permits. Their lives are worn down by the constant fight for permits and work, authorization to travel and education. Wanakam tells the story of Nixsan, put in a home for children, who has stopped talking since he fled from Sri Lanka; of Sasi, who is consumed with homesickness; of Mena, on her difficult path to independence and of Aiya, who escapes his loneliness with sad songs. The film illustrates how family structures are shattered by government-ordered isolation and also raises questions concerning the humaneness of integration policies.

If you liked Wanakam, you might also like…

91% match

The Class of ‘92

2013

90% match

As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty

2000

85% match

In the Realms of the Unreal

2004

81% match

Directed by John Ford

1971

74% match

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me

2023

75% match

McQueen

2018

72% match

To Kill a Tiger

2023

67% match

Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20

2022

61% match

Fuck

2006

60% match

Halloween: 25 Years of Terror

2006

60% match

Naqoyqatsi

2002

60% match

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

2017

60% match

Birth of the Living Dead

2013

60% match

The U.S. vs. John Lennon

2006

60% match

A Toxic Love Story

2026

60% match

The Godfather Family: A Look Inside

1990

60% match

My Mom Jayne

2025

60% match

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me

2022

60% match

The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button

2009

60% match

Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction

2013