Hacen's Prayer is an intimate visual story capturing the morning salah of Hacen, a Mauritanian immigrant who left behind his family, village and everything familiar in pursuit of a better future in the United States. Salah, the Islamic prayer performed five times daily, provides Hacen with spiritual grounding and a connection to his homeland. Through the stillness of his prayer we hear the stories of countless migrants, navigating displacement while holding tightly to cultural and spiritual traditions that anchor them in unfamiliar landscapes. The setting of Chicago's urban lakefront adds layers of meaning to this narrative. As a Sanctuary City shaped by waves of immigrants and at the forefront of national immigrant debates, Chicago embodies both refuge and hardship. Hacen's presence in this space provides a counter-narrative to the prevailing negativity surrounding immigration, as it speaks to the struggle to adapt while fiercely preserving the sacred. The vast, open water before Hacen mirrors Mauritania's Atlantic Coast, forming an unspoken link between past and present. His prayer is both an anchor and a bridge, grounding him in belief while allowing his spirit to transcend borders. Through Hacen's Prayer we invite viewers to witness a moment of deep personal significance - a meditation on the strength in vulnerability and the profound beauty that exists in devotion and act of worship.
