Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.

The Syrian civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, with millions fleeing their homes. Their plight was brought home when the tragic photo of 3-year-old asylum seeker Alan Kurdi hit the news. In Canada, thousands of private sponsors raised money to bring Syrians to safety. But what happened to them when they reached these shores and met their sponsors?

Sponsorland is a new documentary that follows a year in the life of a family of asylum seekers who end up in scenic – but very white — Prince Edward County, Ontario, far from the big city they expected. It also looks at their sponsors and the role they play in welcoming and supporting refugees.

Sponsorland is the work of award-winning filmmaker Michèle Hozer, whose documentaries tell a distinctly Canadian story, celebrating names like Romeo Dallaire, Glenn Gould and Tom Thomson.

This documentary features a family of Syrian refugees with 11 children. Ramez, the second oldest son, is currently a high school student in Picton, Prince Edward County.

I spoke to Michèle in studio at CIUT and to Ramez by telephone.

Sponsorland has its world premier on Wednesday, September 8th at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto and on Friday at the Regent Theatre in Picton. It will be broadcast on TVO on November 15th, 18th and 19th.