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Model Germans for 13 years, all Wadim’s family wanted to do was integrate and build a new life. As Russians living in Riga when the Soviet Union collapsed, they were regarded as occupiers by newly independent Latvians and became targets of bitterness and discrimination. Seeking asylum in Germany, they came to Hamburg full of optimism and hope. Six-year-old Wadim thrived, became an alter boy, was popular, cheerful and did well in school. But his home life was tense; after years of temporary residency permits, his parents were unable to get permanent status or work. When Latvia and Germany sign a treaty allowing deportation of asylum seekers back to Latvia, the instability and stress take its toll and the family begins to crumble. One night, in the space of an hour, the family is torn apart. Wadim’s story is a gripping critique of laws written and applied without regard for human consequences. Gisèle Gordon

Co-Presented with Co-presented with [International Diaspora Film Festival](http://diasporafilmfest.com/).

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