The Stories They Want Us to Ignore
Director Thato Mwosa & Executive Director Edafe Okporo at Maysles Cinema in Harlem for New York African Film Festival 2026
The Power of Seeing Ourselves on Screen
In African folklore, aunties have always been caretakers of young people, protectors, disciplinarians, and quiet sources of strength. In this short film, the auntie almost reveals another side of herself, but restrains it and returns to the role of caretaker, even while carrying her own hurt.
Until Further Notice will surprise you. For those who may carry preconceived biases about a trans actress or a film centered on a trans experience, Noni Salma’s emotional range will completely captivate you. At moments, I found myself holding back tears, feeling as though my own life experience was unfolding on screen.
Director Thato Mwosa shared that it was intentional to leave certain lines open to personal interpretation. When the young woman says, “Auntie, you know what they do to trans people back home,” I immediately thought of Nigeria. But “home” can mean different things to different people. That is what makes the film so powerful. It invites each of us to confront our own understanding of survival and our search for belonging.
Noni Salma, whom I know from our series featuring displaced LGBTQ migrants, has been searching for home. After watching her in this short film, I think she found one. Acting is her home, a place where her voice shines through quietly and powerfully. You have to see it.
At Refuge America, we believe storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have to build a true Nation of Welcome. Stories move people. They invite us to witness the emotional realities behind displacement. They challenge silence, create empathy, and remind us of our shared humanity. For LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers and refugees, storytelling can be an act of resistance and survival itself. I know for sure that storytelling saved my life.
We are honored to share Until Further Notice, a moving new short film directed by Thato Mwosa and starring Noni Salma.
The film follows a trans African woman living in Boston whose asylum claim is denied, forcing her to confront an impossible choice: flee the life she has built or wait to be detained. Through intimate storytelling, the film captures the emotional weight that so many displaced LGBTQ people navigate in silence every day.
For many in our community, these are not hypothetical fears. They are lived realities. Across the United States, LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers continue to face barriers to safety, housing, healthcare, legal support, and long-term stability, even after surviving persecution in their countries of origin. Refuge America was founded to help meet that reality with community, care, and belonging.
Director Thato Mwosa & Executive Director Edafe Okporo at Maysles Cinema in Harlem
After the screening, we hosted the director and a few guests for a small reception.
The connection between Until Further Notice and Refuge America’s mission runs deep. Director Thato Mwosa and Edafe Okporo first met at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival in 2021 during the festival tour for The Legend of the Underground, an HBO documentary exploring the discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming youth in Nigeria. Edafe Okporo was a cast member in the documentary.
That encounter sparked a shared commitment to storytelling that centers displaced LGBTQ lives not as statistics, but as human beings with dreams, fears, and futures worth protecting. Thato also shared that the film is deeply connected to her experience as a mother of three children and her desire to create a world where her children can fully be themselves.
At Refuge America, we know that building a more welcoming future requires more than services alone. It requires culture change. It requires stories that help people see themselves in one another. It requires art that makes injustice impossible to ignore.
“Around the world, queer people face danger simply for living their lives. Some of us make the difficult decision to flee in search of safety and the chance to begin again. My journey is not unique. I share it because I know how important it is for LGBTQ people facing oppression to find belonging, dignity, and an opportunity to rebuild their lives.”
— Edafe Okporo
Until Further Notice will be screened at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival in August, along with other screenings in the months ahead. Learn more about the film and support the work at https://thatomwosa.com/.
As we continue building communities of care for LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers and refugees, we are grateful for artists, filmmakers, and storytellers who help illuminate these journeys with honesty and compassion.
We are halfway through the year and we are less than halfway to our goal of $25,000. We need your support to close that gap and continue this work.