Documentary Explores the Meaning of Home Across Continents

Danish filmmaker Boris Bertram’s documentary, The Human Shelter: Expedition into What Makes a Home, examines how people understand and create a sense of home across different cultures and circumstances. Filmed over more than two years in nine countries, in places as diverse as Nigeria, Japan, Uganda, Iraq, and the United States, the documentary explores how migration, displacement, climate change, security, and the natural environment shape people’s experiences of belonging. The documentary explores unconventional living environments and allows each contributor to share their experiences freely. Its seven chapters feature voices ranging from a Sámi nomad and a 13-year-old refugee poet in Kurdistan to a Mars-habitat researcher and a Ugandan environmental activist. Bertram says the project revealed that people can express their understanding of home poetically, making storytelling a source of empowerment. Viewers can stream it free on ArchDaily until November 29, 2026.