Sadika’s Garden

This is the story of Sadika, a Syrian refugee, who immigrated to Canada with her husband and seven children in 2015 to escape the deadly Syrian civil-war. For a chance to give her children a better life, Sadika, 32, made the gut-wrenching decision to leave her parents behind and start a new life.

Sadika now lives in Vancouver. As she struggles to adapt to Canadian culture and working everyday to help her parents escape the violence overseas, the family faces another challenge. Her eldest daughter Batoul, 16, born with a physically disabling birth defect, requires an immediate 48-hour surgery to straighten her spine or face life-threatening health issues. Batoul desperately wants her grandparents by her side during the surgery, but the family isn’t sure if they can be reunited in time.

Sadika’s Garden is the striking portrait of a family, who through tremendous loss and courage, searches for the soil they desperately need to plant new roots.

Produced by Trail Films Inc. & Pampa Productions
Directed by Chad Galloway & Julia Iriarte
Edited by Chad Galloway
Music by Mark Lazeski
Writers Julia Iriarte & Justin Beddall
Story Editors Jenn Strom & Chad Galloway
Directors of Photography Vince Arvidson
Cinematographers Naim Sutherland, Chad Galloway & James Gill
Camera Assists Miguel Helu, Paul Dombrovskis
Gafffers Mike Hjorth & Daniel Leon Pitts
Grip Earl Kjargaard
Dolly Grip Miguel Helu
Location Sound Mohamed Ali
Advisor Michelle Mason
Set Decorator Isaiah Berra
Animation Jenn Strom
Colourist Ryan Schroeder
Visual Effects Chad Galloway
Audio Edit & Mix Mohamed Ali
Archival Footage Mani Y. Benchelah
Archival Photos Domingo Politi
Translation Morgane Drujon d'Astros, Mohamed Ali & Julia Rapaport
Poster Design Åsa Cederholm & Nicole Callesen
Still Photographer Kevin Roberts
Production Assistants Amy Sark & Julia Rapaport
Legal Council Lori A.M. Massini
Archival Photos Domingo Politi
Additional Footage Mani Y. Benchelah, Imagine Create Media

Special Thanks
The Families of Sadika & Khalil
Jenny & Kristofer Galloway
Justin, Dante & Milan Beddall
Adam and Irene Policzer
Andrea Sola Rapaport & Mari Pighini
Abuelos Group of Sponsors
Ajdeduna Group of Sponsors
Margaret Hosgood and the United Church of Canada
Paula Iriarte, Mattias & Todd Cherniak
Heather & Graham Mackenzie
Smita Acharyya
Maria LeRose
Crystal Smith
Nora Patrich
Karen Melvile
Stephen Geddes
Pablo Mercado
Leilah Nadir
Eva Urrutia

Jessica Holmes, BC Children’s Hospital
Diane Pelosse, Vancouver International Airport
Ellis Farm & Westham Island Herb Farm
Robyn Weasel Bear, Bosa Centre for Film & Animation
Capilano University

CBC / GEM Toronto
Melissa Taylor
Jenna Bourdeau, Claire Cantello
Ava Torres, Suzan Casseus
Marilyn Bamford, Bonnie Bryan
Azanola Linton, Sarah Daniel

Nicole Audy, Knowledge Network
Ian Searcey, Channel 4 News
Elise Swerhone & Shelly Quade, National Screen Institute
TELUS STORYHIVE Team
Tijana Popovic, TELUS Studios
Pampa Productions Canada
Trail Films Inc.
Candela Collective Inc.
Coastal Audio
Scriptastic
Front Row Insurance
María Paz Vergara Low, Museum of Memory and Human Rights, Chile
Vicaría de la Solidaridad, Fundación de Documentación y Archivo
Developed with the Participation of Creative BC
Produced with the support of TELUS