Immigration is a topic that covers a wide variety of situations and can be experienced by many different sections of society. It could be someone choosing to move to a new country to take on work, looking for better opportunities, or fleeing a dangerous situation in their country of birth.
There is a dangerous narrative surrounding immigration that seeks to criminalize immigrants and refugees, making them seem unwelcome in the countries they travel to. This list of films, TV shows, short films, and documentaries aims to show the varied historical and modern-day reasons for immigration and the experiences of immigrants themselves.
Bhaji on the Beach (1993)
Starting off with this 1993 film reminds us that the journey is only one part of the immigrant experience. Once the destination has been reached, there is often a new set of challenges to face and Bhaji on the Beach reminds us of this at every turn.
The film dives into the divide that can exist in different generations of migrant families, as those who were born here begin to clash with the values of those who brought their traditions with them.
Get your copy of the Bhaji on the Beach by clicking here.
An American Tail (1986)
This animated film tells the story of the Mousekewitz family as they leave Russia to go to America.
While it may seem like an odd film to include in this list, the story includes the hopes and expectations for what awaits Fievel and his family, as well as the dangers of immigrant journeys such as those who wish to exploit them once they arrive.
Although it deals with a lot of more grown-up themes, this film is a great way for young people to start engaging with the realities and hardships of migrant journeys.
Get your copy of An American Tail Blu-ray DVD by clicking here.
Years and Years (2019)
The dystopian television series covers a lot of subjects through the course of its six episodes, but running through all of them is a reflection of the way asylum seekers are treated by the United Kingdom.
The relationship that develops between housing officer Daniel (Russel Tovey) and Viktor (Maxim Baldry) takes us through the difficulties Viktor experiences in trying to reach a safe place in which he won’t face persecution for his sexuality.
From outsourced detention camps, being returned to his home country while still at risk, and a final desperate flight across the channel, the show demonstrates the massive risk, mistreatment, and prejudice that refugees can experience trying to reach safety.
Get your copy of the Years and Years: Season One DVD by clicking here.
When you don’t exist (2013)
This short film created for Amnesty International takes the idea that migration works one way and turns it on its head.
Told through the voice of a child trying to reach safety with their mother, it describes the journey of a British family who has to flee as violence descends on the UK and mainland Europe.
While the media and popular narrative only show refugees arriving in the UK, the film attempts to illustrate through this reversal that no nation is exempt from the dangers of war or the effects it can have on its populace.
Human Flow (2017)
Ai Wei Wei’s Human Flow shows us the nature of mass displacement in the modern age. Tracing stories through 23 countries, the documentary portrays the startling level of refugees who are forced to flee their homes across the course of a single year.
Ai Wei Wei’s film may not offer answers, but it does show the human cost of the issues our world has created and provides those unaffected with a valuable window onto the suffering of lives that run parallel to their own.
Read our review of Human Flow.
Get your copy of the Human Flow Blu-ray DVD by clicking here.
Brooklyn (2015)
Set in the 1950s, Brooklyn tells the story of a young woman, Eilis Lacey, who makes the journey from Ireland to start a new life in America. Once there, she finds that she misses her home more than expected. This story of economic migration and the temptation to return home depicts Eilis coming to terms with the fact that no matter how much she misses the place she was raised, the reasons she left will still be there when she returns.
Get your copy of the Brooklyn Blu-ray DVD by clicking here.
Persepolis (2007)
The 2007 adaptation of Marjane Satarapi’s graphic novel of the same name, Persopolis explores Marji’s childhood up to her young adult life, set against the political backdrop of 1980’s Iran.
The film examines the political and social issues that can lead to an individual's need to leave their country of birth, due to their political views.
As Marji struggles to contain her feelings towards the strict societal controls she lives under, the situation becomes more dangerous for her family, until she herself is forced to flee Iran to Austria.
Read our review of Persepolis.
Get your copy of the Persepolis Blu-ray DVD by clicking here.
Overseas (2019)
This documentary by Sung-A Yoon explores the economic migration of Filipino women as they prepare to travel to become domestic workers for wealthy families abroad.
We watch the women be trained in etiquette and how to clean and care for their employer's family. The darker side of this kind of employment however is revealed through the roleplay exercises the women carry out in order to help them prepare to cope with abusive employers.
That this is an expected part of their working lives, and that they are willing to accept it, aptly demonstrates the difficult economic situations that can lead to this form of migration.
His House (2020)
On the surface, this haunted house horror might seem an odd addition to this list, but the nature of the scares in His House is entangled in the journeys of those seeking safety in a new country.
The film explores a number of themes, drawing out its supernatural horror through grief, memories of escaping violence and persecution, the isolation and hostility of the UK immigration system, and the constant fear of removal.
West is West (2010)
The lesser-discussed sequel to 1999’s East is East builds on the themes of adaptation and assimilation in immigrant families by showing us the experience of Sajid, the youngest of the Khan children when he is taken for the first time to his fathers home country.
His initial dislocation aptly demonstrates the way in which the children of immigrant families can struggle to exist in two different cultures. The differences between his brothers Tariq and Maneer exemplifies the way in which accepting one culture may mean sacrificing another.
Get your copy of the West is West Blu-ray DVD by clicking here.
Tom Huggins-Teasdale is a political correspondent for the Immigration Advice Service.