Special introduction by Director Hisham Zaman 9.00-9.15.

In Hisham Zaman’s most recent feature film, A Happy Day, the landscape and mountains of Northern Norway prove to be a formidable obstacle to Hamid (Salah Qadi), Aras (Ravand Ali Taha), and Ismail (Mohamed Salah), three young friends longing to escape the asylum center for unaccompanied minors. On the cusp of adulthood and thus, deportation orders, the three friends come up with a plan to escape over the ongoing mountains. When newcomer Aida (Sarah Aman Mentzoni) begins a star-crossed romance with Hamid, the escape plan is jeopardized, commencing an unconventional portrayal of the hopes and dreams of these young asylum seekers. Although a story of their anxiety and despair, Hisham Zaman creates a celebration of their unique resilience in this world.