Amir Omidvar left Iran during the revolutionary crisis in 1982. For twenty months after leaving his home, Amir did everything he could to cross the Atlantic ocean. While taking refuge in Spain, he made three failed attempts to enter the US; a fake passport in Heathrow, a Mexican jail, and a beating by customs officers in Milan — until a fourth and final attempt brought him to Canadian shores. Amir speaks to his daughter, Shayda, about why he decided to leave and how arriving in Canada has impacted his life and the life of his family. The Hopeful, at its core, is about the Canadian Dream. Walk side by side with Amir through his personal journey, and hear how he persevered not only through physical obstacles, but feelings of desperation, loss, and loneliness, only to find hope and happiness in his new forever home.
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Amir Omidvar left Iran during the revolutionary crisis in 1982. For twenty months after leaving his home, Amir did everything he could to cross the Atlantic ocean. While taking refuge in Spain, he made three failed attempts to enter the US; a fake passport in Heathrow, a Mexican jail, and a beating by customs officers in Milan — until a fourth and final attempt brought him to Canadian shores. Amir speaks to his daughter, Shayda, about why he decided to leave and how arriving in Canada has impacted his life and the life of his family. The Hopeful, at its core, is about the Canadian Dream. Walk side by side with Amir through his personal journey, and hear how he persevered not only through physical obstacles, but feelings of desperation, loss, and loneliness, only to find hope and happiness in his new forever home.
Defeated and broke, but far from hopeless, Amir returns to Barcelona and immediately starts planning his next attempt into the US. He is close to giving up, but his siblings in Iran rally to help him. Amir meets a new group of Iranian refugees all looking for a better life. He gets a job and even opens himself up to dating. But he never takes his eyes off his goal, and eventually sets his sights on Canada. As he prepares for his final attempt to leave Spain, he has a community rooting for him.
The Hopeful
Amir Omidvar left Iran during the revolutionary crisis in 1982. For twenty months after leaving his home, Amir did everything he could to cross the Atlantic ocean. While taking refuge in Spain, he made three failed attempts to enter the US; a fake passport in Heathrow, a Mexican jail, and a beating by customs officers in Milan — until a fourth and final attempt brought him to Canadian shores. Amir speaks to his daughter, Shayda, about why he decided to leave and how arriving in Canada has impacted his life and the life of his family. The Hopeful, at its core, is about the Canadian Dream. Walk side by side with Amir through his personal journey, and hear how he persevered not only through physical obstacles, but feelings of desperation, loss, and loneliness, only to find hope and happiness in his new forever home.
