Manuela is an eleven year old girl from Edéa, 🇨🇲 Cameroon who leads a double life. At school she is driven, smart and enthusiastic, but at home she’s sad and lonely without her parents, who left for Italy four years ago in search of a better future. Despite living with her doting grandparents, Manuela still keenly feels the absence of the two people who should be closest to her.
The plight of children like Manuela is brought into stark focus by the new documentary “The Distance Between” which tells their heartbreaking stories with raw honesty and unflinching emotion. It follows Manuela’s journey as she navigates the pressures of growing up in a foreign land without her parents’ guidance and support, and struggles to maintain hope that one day they’ll return. The film also highlights the resilience of these children as they strive to make something out of their lives in spite of the difficulties they’re faced with.
“The Distance Between” offers an intimate glimpse inside the lives of many other kids forced to live apart from their family due to economic hardship or political unrest. Through interviews with experts on migration and displacement, it also sheds light on the structural factors that contribute to this phenomenon. In doing so it provides valuable insight into what can be done to ensure safe passage for those affected by displacement around the world.
For anyone who’s ever wondered what it’s like for children forced apart from their families by circumstances beyond their control, “The Distance Between” provides an invaluable window into their experiences. By watching this powerful documentary we can gain greater understanding and appreciation for all those facing similar struggles around the world – while taking our first steps towards finding solutions that will help reunite them with their loved ones once more.
