Over ten years, filmmaker Patrick Wally follows Najla Mohamed Lamin – born in a Sahrawi refugee camp – as she builds a life, raises a family and campaigns peacefully for Western Sahara, until the return of war forces her to question what resistance can mean.
World Premiere: Zurich Film Festival – Documentary Competition 2026
Awards
- Special Mention at Zurich Film Festival 2026
In this beautifully shot film we are allowed to develop an intimate relationship to the main protagonist Najla, a young native Sahrawi activist and advocate. Based in a refugee camp in Algeria, she sets out to the UN to fight for Western Sahara’s independence – a fight often silenced and forgotten by the international community. As we follow her over the period of a decade, we witness her restless struggle to achieve justice and peace for her people and finally herself. Decolonialisation, ecojustice and the freedom to live a self-determined life are big goals which still seem hardly possible to achieve. Najla’s and the director’s endurance impressed us equally and resulted in a film that touched us deeply.
Jury statement, Special Mention at Zurich Film Festival 2026
Press
The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Business Doc Europe, Deadline – Acquisition announcement
