The Last Shelter

When Esther and Kady, two teenage girls from Burkina Faso, arrive at a refuge for migrants on the edge of the Sahara desert, they meet fellow travellers dreaming of a future abroad, as well as those returning with tales of failure and trauma.

When Esther and Kady, two teenage girls from Burkina Faso, arrive at a refuge for migrants on the edge of the Sahara desert, they meet fellow travellers dreaming of a future abroad, as well as those returning with tales of failure and trauma. Forming a friendship with Natacha, a migrant woman in her forties whose memory faded over the years, along with her hopes of returning to her home, the girls find a semblance of family life - but cannot give up their dream of a future abroad. A stopover for those going and those returning, the ‘House of Migrants’ in Gao, Mali, witnesses personal struggles and faded hopes alongside moments of joy, hope and tenderness.

Malian filmmaker Ousmane Samassekou’s moving debut documentary is dedicated to his uncle Amadou, who left for the same journey over thirty years ago, but has never been heard from since.