HRWFF Closing Reception

SOLD OUT!

Barbara Jackman, a Canadian lawyer specializing in immigration and refugee law, introduces tonight’s film, Illégal, a psychological thriller with a social commentary background.

The film revolves around Tania, a fictitious 39 year-old Russian woman who has been living illegally in Belgium for some ten years with her 14 year-old son. Although the authorities refused her application for asylum, she manages to find a job and send her son to school. One day, a police check leads to her arrest.  She is placed in a detention center while her young son manages to escape and takes refuge at a friend’s home.

Ms. received her undergraduate degree from the University of Windsor in 1972, her LL.B. from the University of Toronto in 1976, and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1978. She has been described as being one of Canada’s most effective advocates for immigration and refugee rights.