Shawn is joined by writer/director Frederike Migom to discuss her new film Binti, which premiered in the Kids section of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Twelve-year-old Binti and her father, Jovial, are undocumented immigrants from the Congo, who have lived in Belgium since Binti was a baby. She aspires to be an online influencer, but their lives are upended when the refugee squat they are living in is raided by the Belgian police.

While on the run, Binti meets Elias, a young boy who is working to save the okapi, the threatened “forest giraffe” native to the Congo. Their parents meet, and Binti realizes that a solution to her problems is right in front of her—all she needs to do is convince Elias’s mom and her dad to get married.

Frederike and Shawn talk about where the idea for Binti came from and how she sought to humanize the issues surrounding immigration. They also discuss the kind of condescending vibe some people give off when it comes to kids’ films and how frustrating it can be.

You can learn more about Frederike and her work at her website FrederikeMigom.com. You can also follow her on Instagram @FrederikeMigom.

Learn more about the Sundance Film Festival at sundance.org.