Documentary backdrop image for While We Are Here (2019)

Documentary backdrop image for While We Are Here (2019)

201975 minPGdocumentary

6.3/ 10(3 ratings)• TMDB

While We Are Here

201975 minPGdocumentary

6.3/ 10(3 ratings)• TMDB

A Lebanese woman and a Brazilian man form a relationship in New York City, confronting immigration issues and personal struggles over 75 minutes.

Genres

Directors

Clarissa Campolina

Synopsis

A Lebanese woman and a Brazilian man form a relationship in New York City, confronting immigration issues and personal struggles over 75 minutes.

People

Luiz Pretti

Luiz Prettidirector

Clarissa Campolina

Clarissa Campolinadirector

Luiz Pretti

Luiz Prettiwriter

Clarissa Campolina

Clarissa Campolinawriter

Mary Ghattascast

Synopsis

Lamis arrives in New York City, seeking a new life. There, she meets Wilson, a Brazilian man who has lived in the city without legal status for ten years. Their relationship develops amid the challenges of immigration and identity. The film combines elements of fiction, travelogue, and film diary. It presents personal struggles and intimate moments against the backdrop of a bustling metropolis. Directed by Luiz Pretti, the documentary runs for 75 minutes and features dialogue in Arabic, English, French, and Portuguese.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

A Syrian Love Story (2015)

A Syrian Love Story

2015•1h16m•★6.8TMDB

Four years of conflict force Raghda and Amer to confront the dangers of life under the Assad regime while raising their two children in Syria.

A Syrian Love Story

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel (2024)

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel

An Arab actor and a Jewish journalist seek belonging in an increasingly extremist Israeli society.

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel

Arrival (2016)

Arrival

After two years apart, an Italian immigrant family reunites in Canada, facing the challenges of a new culture and the warmth of neighborly gestures.

Tearing my Family Apart (Separation Documentary) (2020)

Tearing my Family Apart (Separation Documentary)

Around 52,000 family-related visas are granted each year in the UK, but many families still struggle to reunite due to strict immigration rules.

Tearing my Family Apart (Separation Documentary)

Being with Refugees (2025)

Being with Refugees

Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan share their daily lives and struggles, as filmmakers document their experiences amid ongoing humanitarian challenges.

Being with Refugees

The secret of true love (2023)

The secret of true love

150 guests from around the world will celebrate Sara and Karim's wedding in Düsseldorf, just weeks after their relationship began on a dating app.

The secret of true love

Paper Children: Fear and Hope in America's Asylum System (2020)

Paper Children: Fear and Hope in America's Asylum System

121 individuals have been picked up in raids, as families face the challenges of seeking asylum in the United States amid a complex immigration system.

Paper Children: Fear and Hope in America's Asylum System

I Only Married You So I Could Live In The UK (2025)

I Only Married You So I Could Live In The UK

Diane, Patricia, and Michelle experience heartbreak and betrayal after marrying foreign men, only to find themselves victims of manipulation and deceit.

I Only Married You So I Could Live In The UK

I'm part of Windrush and am returning to Jamaica after 50 years (2019)

I'm part of Windrush and am returning to Jamaica after 50 years

After 52 years in the UK, a woman faces wrongful deportation to Jamaica, having lived there since she was 10 years old.

I'm part of Windrush and am returning to Jamaica after 50 years

My Life in China | Immigrants Documentary | Full Movie (2024)

My Life in China | Immigrants Documentary | Full Movie

Yau King Eng reflects on his father's migration from China to the United States, exploring the complexities of identity and belonging in the Chinese American experience.

My Life in China | Immigrants Documentary | Full Movie

Zebras On The Move (2020)

Zebras On The Move

Hundreds of thousands of zebras migrate across East Africa, facing significant dangers that threaten their survival in the Mara ecosystem.

Zebras On The Move

Most Dangerous Ways To School | Best Of - Peru, Nicaragua & Mexico (2024)

Most Dangerous Ways To School | Best Of - Peru, Nicaragua & Mexico

Children in Peru's Lake Titicaca region paddle for up to four hours daily to reach their schools, facing harsh weather and challenging conditions.

Most Dangerous Ways To School | Best Of - Peru, Nicaragua & Mexico

Explore While We Are Here

Cast & Crew Topics FAQ Stream

Where else to watch

A Syrian Love Story (2015)

A Syrian Love Story

2015•1h16m•★6.8TMDB

Four years of conflict force Raghda and Amer to confront the dangers of life under the Assad regime while raising their two children in Syria.

A Syrian Love Story

No digital watch option in your country

Walls and People (2013)

Walls and People

2013•1h30m•★10.0TMDB

Casablanca's residents share personal stories that highlight the challenges of illegal immigration, unemployment, and community cooperation in their daily lives.

Walls and People

Siblings (2017)

Siblings

2017•1h20m•★5.7TMDB

Two Mexican brothers, recently deported from the United States, seek support from relatives while reconnecting with their past.

We Never Left (2024)

We Never Left

2024•1h23m•★6.0TMDB

Beirut's revolution connects with the Lebanese diaspora in New York, featuring personal stories of identity and connection during times of upheaval.

If I Could Stay (2024)

If I Could Stay

2024•1h15m•★8.0TMDB

Two undocumented mothers take dramatic measures to protect their families from the constant threat of deportation in the United States.

If I Could Stay

Waiting for Barcelona (2018)

Waiting for Barcelona

2018•1h25m•★6.3TMDB

Undocumented immigrants in Barcelona collect scrap metal and sell illegal replicas to survive amid the city's stark economic divides.

Waiting for Barcelona

I'm Leaving Now (2019)

I'm Leaving Now

2019•1h14m•★5.2TMDB

After 16 years in Brooklyn, Felipe learns that his family in Mexico has squandered the money he sent home and is now deeply in debt.

I'm Leaving Now

Merkel (2022)

Merkel

2022•1h37m•★7.0TMDB

16 years of Angela Merkel's leadership as Chancellor of Germany saw her address major issues like the European debt crisis and climate change.

Browse more like this

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel (2024)

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel

An Arab actor and a Jewish journalist seek belonging in an increasingly extremist Israeli society.

Foreign Land: an Iraqi Jew and an Arab Born in Israel

No digital watch option in your country

Tearing my Family Apart (Separation Documentary) (2020)

Tearing my Family Apart (Separation Documentary)

Around 52,000 family-related visas are granted each year in the UK, but many families still struggle to reunite due to strict immigration rules.

Tearing my Family Apart (Separation Documentary)

No digital watch option in your country

Being with Refugees (2025)

Being with Refugees

Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan share their daily lives and struggles, as filmmakers document their experiences amid ongoing humanitarian challenges.

Being with Refugees

No digital watch option in your country

Most Dangerous Ways To School | Best Of - Peru, Nicaragua & Mexico (2024)

Most Dangerous Ways To School | Best Of - Peru, Nicaragua & Mexico

Children in Peru's Lake Titicaca region paddle for up to four hours daily to reach their schools, facing harsh weather and challenging conditions.

Most Dangerous Ways To School | Best Of - Peru, Nicaragua & Mexico

No digital watch option in your country

Home Is Somewhere Else (2023)

Home Is Somewhere Else

2023•1h28m•★9.2TMDB

Three stories depict the lives of undocumented immigrants in the United States, including a young girl fearing her parents' deportation and an activist deported at 23.

Home Is Somewhere Else

Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America (2019)

Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America

2019•1h24m•★10.0TMDB

Four LGBTQ refugees from Syria, Congo, and Angola arrive in San Francisco, facing homelessness and cultural acceptance as they seek safety in the U.S.

Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America

Love During Wartime (2010)

Love During Wartime

2010•1h32m•★6.0TMDB

Two people from opposing sides of a conflict choose exile in Europe, only to face despair in their new environment.

Love During Wartime

Watani: My Homeland (2016)

Watani: My Homeland

2016•40m•★6.6TMDB

Over three years, a mother and her children flee war-torn Aleppo, facing numerous challenges as they seek safety in a small town in Germany.

Watani: My Homeland

The Dignified Return (2023)

The Dignified Return

Eduardo documents his daily commutes to a transnational customer service center in Mexico after being deported from the United States.

The Dignified Return

Browse more by Luiz Pretti

View all films →

Road to Ythaca (2010)

Road to Ythaca

2010

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →