Aatif Baskanderi grew up in a place where not many people looked like him or believed in the same things that he did. As a Muslim child of Pakistani immigrants, Newfoundland became home. His experiences growing up on “the rock” was like something out of a storybook. On this cold, isolated island in the Atlantic ocean, Aatif learned sincerity and appreciation for others that would set him up for remarkable success in life.

When Toronto-based Indian Canadian film director Amar Wala first learned about the story of Egyptian Mahmoud Jaballah, whose son Ahmad had to interpret for his father while he was interrogated by CSIS agents, he thought it would make a great short film. "I just thought it was a crazy story. An eleven year old boy has to translate for his father while government agents interrogated him in their home and the translator fell asleep. Truth is stranger than fiction; you can't make that stuff up." The short film, The Good Son, was Wala's graduating piece from York University's film program in 2009.