Growing up, filmmaker Ari Nasser Ali’s mother Marion didn’t talk about her older brother Ben, or much about their experiences growing up as Mennonite Missionary Kids in Ethiopia.
When Ali heard a rumor that her uncle had sent out a final letter just a few days before his mysterious death, she realized tracking it down could be her only chance to figure out who Ben was, why the family didn’t talk about him and if the sacrifices asked of missionary families had irrevocably altered what home, closeness and family could look like.
“My biggest fear was that my search for answers would strain my relationship with my mother, a private and reserved person,” she says.
In the film, intergenerational trauma therapist and Ben’s college friend Carolyn Yoder shares: “When we really can’t talk about our deepest fears and we can’t talk about our deepest sorrow, it just lives on in us and then that’s when it really impacts the next generation, in ways that you often find hard to name. But, where the search for the truth is greater than the fear, you are going to bring healing to the whole system.”
“My biggest fear was that my search for answers would strain my relationship with my mother, a private and reserved person.
HEALING JOURNEY
For Ali, making “Ben Between Africa” has been a healing journey for her and her family.
“Through test screenings I have already seen the power this film has in starting important conversations for Third Culture Kids, former Missionary Kids and anyone that grew up between worlds,” she says.
The film is being streamed online from December 13 to December 31, and tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite to watch anytime during the streaming window.
Check out the trailer below.
