Wanakam 2005

Directed by Thomas Isler

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.