International students have to overcome language barriers, adapt to different cultures and lifestyles, and grapple with the loneliness of living far from home.

This documentary is about “typical day” of four international students living and studying in Toronto. Including on-location shots and interviews, the footage was edited into different video formats, which were combined into a nonlinear interactive user-interface. This documentary project conveys some cultural complexities involved in going abroad; the documentary profiles are imbued with affective power and contain subtle details about environmental and cultural contexts. Being built on a website this project allows the audiences to add personal experiences via comments or video-responses and become documentary subjects.

My thesis investigates how participatory online documentary can assist current/potential international students in gathering information about studying overseas. It also helps international student service professionals, including administrators at universities and study-abroad intermediaries, to better understand the unique challenges these students face.

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