For queer refugees, obtaining legal refugee status in Canada is a challenge. Confronted by the immigration system, they are asked to provide ample evidence to “prove” their sexual identity in addition to sharing their story in a clear and sufficient manner.

In response to three documented stories of individuals who have made their refugee claim based on their sexuality, Passing Lines explores the tensions that sexual identity and testimony brings to court hearings. In doing so, it is maintained that queer refugee claimants’ identities and testimonies should be understood as fluid, and that their situation must be valued through empathy, thus suggesting new ways of understanding their identities, stories, and situations.

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Public Screenings

Doc / Now Festival (2009)