The Global Search for Education: Emigrant — A Visual Poem of Movement and Memory

This month, audiences can screen Emigrant, a powerful short film directed by multimedia dance pioneer Mimi Garrard and featuring dancer Samuel Roberts. Set to a haunting score by composer José Halac, Emigrant explores identity, memory, and transformation through screen dance — a medium Garrard has helped define. This film is curated by Planet Classroom.

Blending live performance with digitally layered visual art, Garrard crafts what she calls a “visual poem,” where every frame pulses with emotional resonance. Using unconventional imagery and expressive movement, Emigrant reflects the inner journey of those who leave one world behind to find or forge another.

The Global Search for Education is honored to welcome back Mimi Garrard to reflect on her creative process and the deeper meanings behind her latest work.

Mimi, what emotional connection did you feel to José Halac’s music, and how did it shape the soul of Emigrant?

My emotional connection to José’s music was very strong. Even without visuals, I could already sense an emigrant’s story in the sound. It was evocative and textured in a way that immediately suggested movement across space — both physical and emotional. Sam and I used the music to guide our movement exploration. Later, that same music helped shape the structure and emotional pacing of the entire composition.

Can you describe the internal journey you saw unfolding in Samuel Roberts’ performance?

Sam is not just a dancer — he’s a mature artist. Before we began filming, I asked him to improvise on the theme in a larger space. That helped him fully embody the emotional state of the emigrant. By the time we moved into our tighter recording space, he had already “found” the character. Watching him, I could tell he had completely absorbed the idea. His performance carries the emotional weight of dislocation and search for self.

How did your visual choices reflect the themes of movement, longing, and transformation?

For the background, I used imagery from a junkyard — a place that feels unstable and full of sharp edges. It creates a kind of emotional hazard. These shifting, layered visuals mirror the experience of someone who has been uprooted, someone searching for safety or meaning in unfamiliar surroundings. Nothing stays fixed. That’s the condition of being an emigrant.

What do you feel when you watch Emigrant now — and what do you hope others might take away from it?

I’m deeply impressed by Sam’s performance and José’s music. Together with the visual composition, I think the film captures something honest about the emigrant experience — its fragility, its courage, its persistence. More than anything, I hope it encourages viewers to think about the emotional lives of emigrants. These stories deserve more attention, more empathy. Dance helps us feel what words sometimes can’t express.

Mimi, thank you so much.

C.M. Rubin with Mimi Garrard

Watch Emigrant, now streaming on Planet Classroom’s YouTube channel. This film is curated by Planet Classroom.