Fatimah Dadzie
GHANA
Fati’s Choice
Fati’s Choice profiles Fati, a young Ghanaian woman who voluntarily returned home to Ghana from Italy. As a young woman, Fatima left everything behind, including her business and four young children to join her husband in Libya. From there they made the journey to Italy. It was a brutal time in her life and she experienced Fati sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and physical abuse during her perilous journey through the Sahara. All in the name of reaching Europe, but when she arrived all she met was hardship and her dream of a good life was shattered. Longing for the children, Fati returns to Ghana six months later - without her husband. Her hardship continues as she experiences stigma from her community. Things change for her as she discovers a passion for making local sweets. We see exemplary perseverance of Fati, which takes us through her journey of self-actualization.
A beach reminds us of Fati’s recent past, a past in which she traveled to Italy by sea, without proper documentation, and pregnant for the fifth time. Longing for her children, she returns to Ghana six months later – without her husband. Her family and friends refuse to understand and reject her reason to return. “You’ve created a mess,” a friend says. “How do I tell people?” a sister asks. But all that Fati wants is to provide for and ensure the welfare of her five children, even if it means risking all odds to rescue them from the custody of her in-laws. Fati’s choice is a forty-five minutes documentary on irregular migration and repatriation, departure, and return for the main protagonist.
What’s Happening Now
Film Festivals
Dok Leipzig 2021 World Premiere
Nominations; International Competition Long Documentary, Film Prize Leipziger Ring, International Critics Prize (FIPRESCI Prize)
Global Migration Film Festival 2021 Winner: Best Feature Documentary
Nominations; Best First Documentary
Exhibitions and Conferences
The Africa Institute will screen Fati’s choice as part of its Global Ghana: Sites of Departure/Sites of Return, which will take place in March at the Africa Institute.
Community Screenings
Public and community screenings have been scheduled for the months of June /July. We plan to collaborate with Public and Private institutions, NGOs, and other interested stakeholders to help raise funding for this activity. The objective is for the local community to see the film to help create conversations on the themes that the film raises.
Fati's Choice was produced in partnership with GENERATION AFRICA, a documentary film project with the aim to create new narratives on migration through stories told by African filmmakers. Far too many young Africans are choosing to leave their home country to seek a different future abroad. The reality of what many African migrants find does not live up to their fantasies and to the dreams of the many people depending on them.
Fatimah Dadzie is a content production and communications expert, whose love for storytelling enables her to craft cutting-edge campaign messages. She has over 10 years of professional experience, in video and radio production, advertising & new media marketing.
Fatimah holds a BFA in Film and TV Production (Animation) from the National Film and Television Institute and a Masters Degree in Communications, Media and Public Relations from the University of Leicester UK. She is a WeOwnTV Filmmaker’s Fellowship and her film Fati’s Choice was produced in partnership with the Generation Africa Program. .