Bonus 31: My Small Land

In this episode, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney and Executive Editor Orla Smith discuss the Japanese hidden gem My Small Land, the first feature film from Emma Kawawada. We fell in love with the film at the Berlinale earlier this year, and are excited that it's finally getting a Canadian release this week. My Small Land, is the story of a Kurdish teenage girl, Sarya (Lina Arashi) who is an immigrant in Japan. She grew up just outside of Tokyo and has no memories of her home, which was colonised Kurdish territory in Turkey. Sarya ends up in an impossible situation when her family loses their work visas, and travel permission, and she suddenly becomes responsible for her younger siblings with no way to earn money legally. My Small Land follows in the tradition of social realism, and the style of filmmaking owes much to Kore-eda's small scale character dramas. My Small Land will be screening at TIFF in Toronto from November 9 to 16 and in Charlottetown PEI until November 8. The film has also screened at VIFF in Vancouver and the Montreal Cinematheque. Watch for it on VOD soon if it's not coming to your city.