For as long as we continue to hear about new waves of refugees, and for as long as migrants still make the news, migration remains a huge topic. There are many aspects that have yet to be investigated or that can’t be covered by the news. Some aspects and stories can only be covered by documentaries and films. Both these are very powerful means of learning new things, because they can teach us so much in so little time. That is why when I heard about the Movement Film Festival, I was immediately interested in writing about it.
Moviement is a film festival organised by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation – Office in Greece. It will take place between October 30th and November 3rd in the Greek Film Archive (48, Iera Odos, Athens). The main focus of the festival will be migration and its different aspects, from domestic labour and structural violence, to solidarity, inclusion and struggle. As Phoebe Daliani from the organisers’ team explained: “Migration is a diverse and complex experience and the aim of the festival is to bring attention to its different aspects, to highlight the variety and subjective experiences, and to create a forum for discussion, collaboration and action.”
What is interesting is that, apart from the screenings, there will be talks and Q&A sessions, where the audience will have the opportunity to sit with the production teams at the end of the film, ask questions and get answers.
The full festival schedule will be available at rosalux.gr There are a couple of films that we found particularly interesting and which we recommend:
A maid for each
Director: Maher Abi Samra | 2016 | Lebanon | 67’ | Documentary
This is the opening film of the festival. It is a documentary about domestic workers in Lebanon. It made me aware of a lot of things I didn’t know were happening there.
As we go through the documentary, we see a man who is in charge of an office that provides maids. He explains a lot of things, such as which countries the maids come from, and even explains how they are brought illegally into Lebanon. The documentary shows us the floor plans of the houses or apartments of the people employing the maids and we see how much smaller their rooms are compared to the rest.
As a viewer, I saw another side of human behaviour. When they do something that they should be ashamed of, the employers justify it with any excuse they can find. For example, “They have a maid, so why shouldn’t we?” or “I’m too busy to take care of my old mother”, as if these explanations can excuse the bad conditions that the maids live under. Some of the families get round the issue by ignoring the existence of their maid, pretending she isn’t there. They think that providing food and shelter is enough to make a maid’s life comfortable.
And in case you start thinking that maybe the life of a maid isn’t that bad, you should know that they are not really free to find work elsewhere.
Cedar Wolf
Director: Sofia Georgovassili | 2019 | Greece, Germany | 12’ | Fiction
“Cedar Wolf” is the sweetest movie about a young teenage refugee who lives in Athens. A local carpenter helps him settle by giving him a little help.
The short film shows that we can understand each other even if we don’t speak the same language, and also that even the smallest amount of assistance, whether financial support or just a kind word, that locals can give to refugees helps and means a lot to them.
I liked this film because it has a positive message and proves that a local can make the life of a refugee much better, simply by acknowledging his existence.
Easy lessons
Director: Dorottya Zurbó | 2018 | Hungary | 78’ | Documentary
In this documentary we follow a 17-year-old girl, Kafia, after her escape from a forced marriage in Somalia. Her mother helped her flee the country, after which she reached Hungary on her own.
We see her sitting her final exams in school in an unfamiliar language, then we see her turning 18 and having to move out of the shelter to live by herself, while trying to fullfil her dreams of becoming a model.
It is very interesting to see her going through all those dramatic changes, obviously unsure as to whether they were the correct thing to do, because she keeps talking about them. Is she making the right choices, or is she changing simply to blend in with society around her?
I think this is a very important movie because it shows that anything done by force can never be the right thing to do – especially when it comes to marriage. I think you should definitely make time to watch this amazing documentary.
The boy and the sea
Director: Samer Ajouri | 2016 | Syria, Lebanon | 5’ | Animation
A heart touching animated short film that takes us to a whole new world and tells us about the painful story of a young boy, Alan Kurdi, whose picture dominated the news and filled our hearts and minds with deep sorrow. This animation tells his story in a new way, while the music conjures up incredible emotions and keeps the audience riveted. It’s definitely worth watching.
*The majority of films in the festival are suitable for over-18s.
*This article has been published in issue #15 of “Migratory Birds” newspaper, which was released as an annex with “Efimerida ton Syntakton” newspaper (Newspaper of the Editors), on October 12th 2019.
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