The experience of starting over in a new country is shaped by hope, sacrifice, cultural adjustment and the search for belonging. Notre Life, a French-language social drama and with English subtitles produced by Ymolujo Entertainment, brings these realities to the screen through the intertwined lives of three African-origin roommates building their lives in Moncton, New Brunswick. Blending youthful humour with emotional authenticity, the series explores the tensions and solidarities that emerge when ambition, friendship and the realities of immigration meet.

The production is presented as the first Afro-Canadian web series filmed both in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and on the African continent, with locations including Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Its transcontinental approach creates a cinematic connection between communities separated by geography but linked by migration, culture and shared experience. The project also brings visibility to Acadia’s Francophone immigrant community, whose stories remain less represented in Canada’s screen landscape than those emerging from larger centres.

Created, directed and produced by Ymolujo Ludovic Ytemben, a Cameroonian filmmaker, actor and electrical engineer who moved to Canada in 2022, Notre Life grew out of a personal search for stories that reflected his new surroundings. “When I arrived in Canada, I searched online for a local series rooted in the realities, faces, and accents of immigrants here, but I found nothing,” Ymolujo L.Ytemben explains. “Instead of waiting, I decided to build this transcontinental cinematic bridge myself.” His aim, he says, is to broaden the geography of diversity on Canadian screens and to represent the dynamic immigrant community in Acadia.

Ymolujo L. Ytemben’s work has also received recognition beyond Notre Life. He is a recipient of New Brunswick’s PACM grant and received support from the Canada Council for the Arts for Mon deuxième baccalauréat. The film earned the Best French Film award at the 2025 Canadian Black Screen Awards in Ontario and a Special Mention in the Regards d’ici category at the 41st Vues d’Afrique International Film Festival in Montréal. As an actor, Ytemben has appeared in Canadian television series including En Résidence (Unis TV) and Mont Rouge (ICI Tou.tv).

Written by Paul “Stevek” Kouonang Kouamo, a screenwriter and film critic known for his work as head writer on Canal+’s Le futur est à nous, Notre Life centres on three roommates whose different temperaments and ambitions shape the emotional life of their shared home. Judith, portrayed by Serena Takou Moffo, is a dedicated nurse striving to maintain balance in an increasingly chaotic household. Mercy, played by Stephanie Anoma, is an impulsive and charismatic free spirit whose choices disrupt convention. Sandra, portrayed by Christelle Woako Ngounou Fall, is determined to secure a future in Canada, embodying the aspirations and personal sacrifices often associated with the immigrant journey.

The series’ tone moves between comedy and social drama, allowing everyday situations to reveal deeper questions of integration, social inclusion, professional development and identity. The shared apartment functions as more than a setting: it becomes a space where cultural misunderstandings, competing expectations, affection and resilience play out. In foregrounding these experiences, Notre Life offers a perspective on immigrant life shaped by those who live it, while also inviting audiences beyond the diaspora to engage with its universal themes.

The independent production brings together professional and amateur filmmakers of African origin based in Canada and across the continent. Cheick-Hamal Fall leads cinematography in Canada, with Ousmane Kader Yeo working in Côte d’Ivoire and Perrin Kam in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Jules Kamanke serves as production assistant. The project’s creative team and cast include Serena Takou Moffo, Stephanie Anoma, Christelle Woako, Ymolujo Ytemben, Gabriel-Vincent Deslauriers and Danica Arsenault. According to the production, the series began as a self-funded initiative, underscoring its independent character and its commitment to creating opportunities for Black and international talent.

Notre Life comprises two seasons and 20 episodes, each approximately 10 minutes long. Produced in 2024–2025, it is filmed in French and available with English subtitles on YouTube. The series seeks both to entertain and to document the lived realities of young immigrants for audiences in Canada and for families across Africa.


SERIES INFORMATION

Distribution Official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ymolujoentertainment
Trailer: https://youtu.be/t3XeOtMoNcc


ABOUT YMOLUJO ENTERTAINMENT

Ymolujo Entertainment is the production company behind Notre Life, led by filmmaker, actor and independent producer Ymolujo Ludovic Ytemben. Its work aims to bring stories rooted in diverse lived experiences to the screen and to expand the visibility of Black and immigrant creators in Canada’s audiovisual sector.


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