The Universality of it All
2020, 90mins
"The story of how everything connects together."
The Universality of It All is a feature length documentary that focuses on the topics of human migration and inequality, blurring the boundaries between film and documentary through a fresh and nuanced perspective.
The film is as intimate, as it is informative. It explains the complexity of human migration by providing valuable data and information, but also by showing how it affects the reality of two friends and their day-to-day lives.
The filmmaker tells the story of his best friend Emad, a Yemeni refugee living in Vancouver, Canada, and by doing so, he ends up arriving to a profound realization about the interconnectedness of all the major events of the 21st century. The film takes the viewer on a journey around the world, analyzing various cases of migration from an economic and historical perspective, while simultaneously delving into the life, thoughts and experiences of Emad. This back-and-forth juxtaposition between narratives is what allows the audience to see the similarities and correlations that all migrations on earth share.
Director: Andrés Bronnimann
Executive Producers: Don Thompson and Andrés Bronnimann
Co-Producer(s): Andrés Bronnimann , Iana Prakheeva
Editor: Andrés Bronnimann
Cinematographer(s): Andrés Bronnimann , Mattia Pomelli, Basher Khalifeh
Featuring Story: Emad Al-maqtary, Rafi Gazani, Yadira Lopez
Research Assistant: Benjamin Music
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Socially Relevant Film Festival NY, Vision Award, 2021
Winner - Spotlight Documentary Film Awards, Silver Award, 2020
Official Nomination - Independent Film Awards, Bristol, 2021
Official Selection - SR Socially Relevant Film Festival, New York, 2021
Official Selection - IOM UN Migration, 2020
Official Selection - BUSH WCK Film Festival, 2020
Official Selection - LIFT OFF GLOBAL NETWORK, Berlin, 2021
Official Selection - CFIFF Changing Face International Film Festival, 2020
Online Resources
Learn with Avthar (Podcast, volume 4): The Social Impact Filmmaker- Andrés Bronnimann
Thrive Global: Andrés Bronnimann: “Trust humanity just a little bit more”
La Republica: Documental que retrata la migración se proyectará mañana en United World College
Screening information
To find out more about the film and to purchase a special public screening licence please contact directly director Andrés Bronnimann here
Start a conversation
We believe in the power of film to open up opportunities for dialogue and community reflection. We’ve designed post-screening discussion guides for all films, to be used as a starting point for conversations inspired by our Moving Worlds programme
