DIRECTOR’s VISION

Growing up is awkward. Seventeen is a weird age—you finally get your license, hormones are raging, and adulthood is around the corner. Now add being an immigrant into the mix. There’s a lot of confusion: Am I American? Am I Congolese? Where do I fit in?

This film is deeply personal, inspired by my upbringing in a tight-knit Congolese immigrant community in Portland, Maine. It often draws from my own experiences and those of the people I grew up with, resulting in a funny and heartfelt story about what it means to come of age as a third-culture kid caught between two worlds.

A Coming-of-Age Story for Immigrant Kids

Mondele is a heartfelt, slice-of-life coming-of-age story inspired by Lady Bird and Sing Street. Told from the immigrant perspective, we want kids from this experience to have the opportunity to see themselves—a film Drawing from classics like The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, but one that also brings something new to the mix.