Looking back on 2024, Sampan’s arts writer, Harmony Witte, compiled the following list of influential and important films of the year with connections to immigration in some way, or with foreign cast members. Some have immigration-focused stories, others have immigrant directors or actors or other cast members.

Witte’s list includes hard-hitting documentaries, a martial arts adventure, both tense and funny crime stories, a surreal art romp and even a big-budget mystery thriller.
“This selection of films,” writes Witte, “is of the ones that hung on in my mind long after viewing. Some of the films have already warranted a rewatch and some are so painful to see that scenes will be replayed mentally for years to come. In a year where so many of the films that made it into theater screenings were reboots, sequels, and prequels — these were some of the unique takes that stuck out from the crowd.”
Here are the Top 9 movies:

9: “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In”
This is a martial arts film set in the walled-in city of Kowloon in the 1980s, when gangs ran the city. A refugee hides out in the city and finds his place in the community, but he has a secret that threatens to spark a gang war. This is an incredibly violent film with moments of real tenderness and humanity. It has some random CGI moments that may briefly pull viewers out of the created world, but those moments are few and far between. Directed by Soi Cheang, this film has one masterful fight sequence after another. Louis Koo shines as Cyclone, who tries to protect the inhabitants of the city.

8: “The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer”
This film tells the story of a writer in the midst of a divorce who befriends a serial killer who then pretends to be the couple’s marriage counselor. Directed by Tolga Karaçelik, from Istanbul, Turkey, this hilarious comedy drama features Steve Buscemi at the height of his comedic powers and wonderfully depicts the silent rage that can build between couples over time if smoldering issues are left unaddressed. The film is set in New York City and has a very casual approach to the cinematography that really works.

7: “The Trek: A Migrant Trail to America”
Here we have a CNN-produced documentary about people crossing the Darien Gap — the only land route connecting South and Central America which stretches between Colombia and Panama. The route is controlled by a drug cartel and people pay them to be able to pass through. Migrants make the hazardous journey coming from as far away as Haiti, Venezuela, Ecuador, China, and India, all with a dream of giving their family the best life possible. There are no roads through the jungle, they climb mountains and wade through rivers and at times knee deep mud for 66 harrowing miles. This documentary features some graphic footage of people who did not survive the journey. It’s a moving work that leaves the audience wondering about the fates of the people the crew encountered on the trail.

6: “Emilia Pérez (sp)”
Written and directed by Jacques Audiard, this is a Spanish-language musical crime comedy. The musical aspect was not advertised broadly, so some viewers may be surprised when the cast starts their heartfelt signing. It tells the story of four women in Mexico who are each pursuing their own chance at happiness. The film features a controversial storyline where a cartel leader wants gender affirming surgery and migrates to Switzerland to hide from authorities. The lead actresses in the film did a phenomenal job with this story including Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. While the singing was a little off putting at first, it became an amazing way to tell this fresh tale. There was one song with hundreds of faces of people highlighted across a black background in a Greek Chorus of sorts, all singing in unison about their missing loved ones which could make even the hardest of hearts emotional.

5: “No Other Land”
“No Other Land” is a documentary made by a four-person Palestinian-Israeli collective about a Palestinian hamlet called Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank. The film shows the expulsions of people from their homes and the systematic destruction of schools, homes, and even water wells on that land. It follows an activist named Basel Adra in his resistance to forced displacement by Israel’s military and chronicles his friendship with Yuval Abraham, an Israeli journalist who attempts to help Basel in his struggle by bringing media attention to his plight. The bonds of friendship are tested because Yuval enjoys freedoms that Basel does not have such as the right to travel. This is a very moving documentary and features some very intense and shockingly violent scenes and scenes of Palestinian people’s suffering under occupation and apartheid.

4: “Problemista”
Is a fantastic, surreal film directed by former Saturday Night Live writer, Julio Torres, starring Torres as an aspiring toymaker from El Salvador who is trying to get a visa sponsored so he can continue living in the United States and reach his dreams. Alejandro tries gig jobs and eventually starts to work for an art world pariah in the hope that she will help him get his visa. Problemista also stars Tilda Swinton, RZA, and Isabella Rossellini. This film is delightfully surreal with wonderful special effects and manages to be incredibly endearing and heartfelt.

3: “Conclave”
In this mystery thriller the Pope has died, and the Cardinals must meet to select a new Pontiff — only there are multiple scandals that erupt and threaten the very existence of the Catholic Church. “Conclave” has a twist ending that no one could see coming. It’s beautifully shot with extraordinary acting, and the costumes, and sets are exquisite. The score by Volker Bertelmann is haunting and dramatic. Director Edward Berger, who was born in West Germany, displays his mastery at filmmaking with this visual feast.

2: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
A taut family drama directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, this is set against the backdrop of the real-life Iranian political protests in 2022, which were violently suppressed by Iranian authorities. When a Revolutionary Court judge’s identity is publicly revealed, he and his wife and daughters must grapple with the destabilization of their family and society. “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” weaves in graphic footage from the protests into this fictional story. The film was remarkably smuggled out of Iran after the director was sentenced to prison and fled the country. The acting by Soheila Golestani, Missagh Zareh, Satereh Maleki, and Mahsa Rostami in this film is superb.

1: “War Crimes in Gaza”
One of the most profoundly devastating pieces of documentary film ever released, “War Crimes in Gaza” is comprised of footage gathered from the social media accounts of Israeli forces and interviews with witnesses and experts which unflinchingly reports on the current grim situation in Palestine. This raw documentary is not for the faint of heart, with graphic, heart-wrenching scenarios and jarring interviews — one after another. It’s excruciating to watch and has lingered in my mind in the months since its release. Its message is to not turn away from the horrors that are being inflicted on the Palestinian people in what is being called the most-filmed genocide in history. Compiled and released by Al Jazeera Investigations, this documentary does not hold back. This film demands that the viewers watch and witness the war crimes and once seen, it cannot be denied that the audience is watching ethnic cleansing take place before their very eyes. This film didn’t get a lot of attention in the United States when it was released, but as time passes it is sure to become very important documentation of what is taking place in Palestine.
-Harmony Witte