Movies Similar to Expanding Sanctuary

The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)(2008)

Co-directed by acclaimed cinematographer Ellen Kuras and subject Thavisouk Phrasavath, this haunting documentary chronicles a refugee family’s epic journey from Laos in the aftermath of the secret war waged by the United States there to New York, where they find themselves fighting a different kind of war on the streets of Brooklyn. Filmed over the course of 23 years, THE BETRAYAL is a visually and emotionally stunning look at the complex ways in which the political shapes the personal.

7.0

Tourist Family(2025)

A quirky Sri Lankan family seeking a fresh start in India transforms a disconnected neighborhood into a vibrant community with their infectious love and kindness.

8.5

Léa & I(2019)

Best friends travel though Latin America meeting shamans, experimenting with plant medicines, and wondering about what makes a life well-lived when one of them might have half the time to live it.

5.5

Enemy Alien(2022)

A poetic retelling of the experiences of Joseph Murakami, a fourteen-year-old boy from Darwin, who is summarily rounded up and interned by his government on the basis of his ethnicity, leaving wounds unhealed to this day.

10.0

Anemoia(2025)

When a despondent girl tells her emotionally absent father about her intentions to move away from Hong Kong, conflicting feelings and internalized emotions from her upbringing boil to the surface.

0.0

An American Tail(1986)

A young mouse named Fievel and his family decide to migrate to America, a "land without cats," at the turn of the 20th century. But somehow, Fievel ends up in the New World alone and must fend off not only the felines he never thought he'd have to deal with again but also the loneliness of being away from home.

6.7

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Aan ons den arbeid(2007)

Documentary that shows the changing attitude towards immigrant labor in The Netherlands. The documentary follows three immigrants that arrived in Holland 30 years ago to work in a bakery.

8.5

Visions of Europe(2004)

Twenty-five films from twenty-five European countries by twenty-five European directors.

4.9

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The Adventure(2013)

In 2011, as tens of thousands of migrants, Loss, and Madess Moussa arrived in Europe via Turkey. Required by EU law to remain in Greece, they only want one thing : to leave. Therefore earn the money needed to start is an obsession and all means are good. The film "The Adventure" follows the lives of these three Ivorians to Athens - their sense of enclosure, strategies to find money, failover illegally, attempts to start - and explores what is at stake, individually and collectively during migration: relations to other migrant communities, friendship, betrayal, solidarity, mafias and violence.

0.0

Herbie Goes Bananas(1980)

The adorable little VW helps its owners break up a counterfeiting ring in Mexico.

5.3

Built to Last(2018)

From humble beginnings in a small slate roofed village in Greece to the heyday of America's movie palaces, the Latchis Family built an empire of theatres throughout New England in the hard-scrabble years of the Great Depression. Their story is told through historically accurate footage, photographs and music from the Latchis family, local historical societies and national archives.

0.0

Displaced Perssons(2013)

Per Persson left Sweden 40 years ago. In Pakistan he fell in love and became the father of two daughters. Trouble starts when the girls grow up and the family decides to emigrate to Sweden. When they end up living in a caravan outside Hässleholm, all their expectations are dashed.

7.0

The Three Caballeros(1944)

For Donald's birthday he receives a box with three gifts inside. The gifts, a movie projector, a pop-up book, and a pinata, each take Donald on wild adventures through Mexico and South America.

6.3

God Grew Tired of Us(2006)

Filmmaker Christopher Quinn observes the ordeal of three Sudanese refugees -- Jon Bul Dau, Daniel Abul Pach and Panther Bior -- as they try to come to terms with the horrors they experienced in their homeland, while adjusting to their new lives in the United States.

7.2

Spellbound(2002)

This documentary follows 8 teens and pre-teens as they work their way toward the finals of the Scripps Howard national spelling bee championship in Washington D.C.

7.4

Growing Fangs(2021)

Val Garcia, a Mexican-American teen who is half human/half vampire, has had to keep her identity a secret from both worlds. But when her human best friend shows up at her monster-infested school, she has to confront her truth, her identity, and herself.

6.6

My Baba Bozorg(2023)

My Baba Bozorg was a professor of literature in Tehran, Iran. He moved to Canada in 2002 to live with his son, my father. He spends his days, at large, seldom in his room on the top floor of our suburban home in Scarborough, Ontario. Primarily reading and writing, studying English, watching Persian films, following Persian news, and keeping company to our family dog, Oreo. He never misses his daily walk, morning and evening cups of tea, and telling me Dooset Daram (I love you) when our paths cross. He has watched me grow in this house for 21 of my 22 years of life. Our verbal exchange is remarkably limited given our understanding of one another. A bond I believe can be largely attributed to the beauty our language barrier allows us to see. Nothing about this film was coordinated or discussed prior to shooting. I saw him sleeping, and he woke up and saw me. The rest unfolded. No questions or hesitations.

10.0

The Other Side of the Wall(2017)

Honduran immigrants living in Mexico, teenage siblings Rocío and Ale must take over care of their two younger siblings after their mother is sentenced to prison on dubious grounds. Tensions grow between the pair as the decision must be made on whether to stay together in Mexico or split the family up to cross into the US to work.

7.0

Salsa(1976)

The Fania All Stars perform for 44,000 fans at Yankee stadium in New York. Besides concert footage, there's also included a history of Salsa, and vintage film clips of Hollywood's portrayal of Latinos in movies during the 1930's and 40's.

0.0

Vetri Kodi Kattu(2000)

Vetri Kodi Kattu is a Tamil film directed by Cheran starring Murali, Parthiban, Meena, Manorama and Malavika. It is about 2 men who find the way to prosperity with their effort in their own country after being cheated by a man who promised them a lucrative job in Dubai.

6.6