My Small Land Site

The film centers on Sarya (played by Lina Arashi), a 17-year-old Kurdish refugee living in Japan. While she initially feels integrated into Japanese society—dreaming of university and experiencing a blossoming romance—her life is thrown into chaos when her family’s refugee status is revoked and her father is jailed for illegal employment.

Emma Kawawada’s directorial debut, My Small Land (2022), is a poignant and essential exploration of what it means to belong when the world refuses to grant you a home. My Small Land

: The film masterfully highlights the tension between Sarya’s Kurdish heritage and her Japanese environment. She is caught between two worlds—never fully accepted in Japan, yet distant from a culture she barely remembers. The film centers on Sarya (played by Lina

: Beyond its intimate story, the film serves as a "quiet political statement" regarding the often-overlooked lives of refugees in Japan. It received a special mention from the Amnesty International Award jury at the Berlin International Film Festival for its sensitive handling of these social issues. : The film masterfully highlights the tension between