Imagining Emanuel

A Nationless African Migrant in the West

Emanuel arrived in Norway in 2003 as a stowaway on a container ship. He arrived with no papers, claiming to be from Liberia and to have fled its civil war in the early 1990s to spend the next decade on the streets of Ghana. But Norwegian authorities suspect he is of Ghanaian origin, and have sent him to Ghana twice, only to have Emanuel rejected and returned to Norway.

He is held for a year in a Norwegian detention center, where he is subject to harsh treatment, including being woken several times an hour at night by the guards. Outside, he is not permitted to work. For nearly ten years, it remains both illegal for him to stay in Norway and illegal for him to leave. As it explores these contradictions and draws a portrait of a man, Imagining Emanuel probes the nature of identity itself.

Official Selection at Hot Docs Film Festival.

"An elegant and powerful film that reframes current discussions about identity, race and faith." - Nordic:DOX Award, CPH:DOX Festival