How Do You Spell Home?
Juneco’ is a community centre in Belgium that provides shelter and guides 15 minor refugees until they're 18 years old. In this multicultural hub the youngsters integrate and grow up without their families and friendships are made. Helen and Dalina , two Eritrean girls, share the same mother tongue, Tigrinya. They find comfort in each other while sharing stories, religion, songs and uncertainties. Helen, who’s in the procedure of family reunion, tries to stay positive and continues to develop her own identity. She is unsure what will happen once her family, who she has not seen in 6 years, arrives in Belgium. As they integrate in their new country and grow up without their families, How Do You Spell Home? looks at their search for a sense of home away from home.
Louisiana Mees-Fongang
Louisiana Mees-Fongang is a Belgian fiction and documentary writer and director. She studied directing at KASK (The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium). An education that is notably characterised by the cultivation of a filmmaker's distinct, personal language
Louisiana is known for making raw yet intimate portraits of youngsters residing in precarious situations. At the heart of Louisiana's scholarly endeavours lies a profound exploration into the myriad forces that shape the experiences of youths grappling with displacement, lack of guidance, disconnection, uprootedness or uncertainties stemming from their social backgrounds or socio- political circumstances. Her humanitarian and poetic work is always injected with sparks of humor and a nuanced touch of surrealism.
Louisiana's creative prowess was lauded when her short film Waithood secured the esteemed VAF Wild Card for fiction prize in 2018, a testament to her narrative finesse. In the autumn of 2023, she marked a significant milestone by debuting her feature documentary, How Do You Spell Home?, at the prestigious IDFA 2023. Simultaneously, her third short film, Fikri, makes its premiere at the International Short Film Festival Leuven, showcasing her versatile storytelling capabilities. Notably, her fourth short film, Igor, where is Igor?, is currently in the making.
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