Blue/Red/Deport
Picknick in Moria
Synopsis
Afghan filmmaker Talib Shah lives in the refugee camp Moria in Greece. On the verge of losing hope, he turns his suffering into art and makes a film that gives voice to the plight of thousands of refugees.Talib Shah Hossaini, a 37-year-old Afghan filmmaker and asylum-seeker, lives in Moria on the Greek island of Lesbos. Moria was the biggest refugee camp in Europe until it burnt to the ground in autumn 2020. One year into his life in the camp, Talib Shah finds himself on the verge of losing hope. Instead of giving up, however, he decides to transform his suffering into art and makes a film called PICNIC − an insider’s look at the lives of thousands of refugees stuck in Moria, a place sometimes described as a humanitarian disaster. Filmmaker Lina Luzyte follows the daily life of Talib Shah and shows him as he makes his film. Members of Talib Shah’s family appear in the film alongside other amateur refugee actors. The making-of scenes act as a magnifying glass to the reality of the asylum seekers. The highlight of the documentary is its premiere in Moria: Talib can finally show his work and speak from the heart of many of his fellow refugees. The film explores such topics as dreams versus reality, art as a means of survival, current immigration policies in Europe, and it invites us to become better acquainted with the people who will soon be our neighbours.
Festivals/Awards
2022Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival, Greece
Cast and Crew
- Director Lina Lužyte
Original Languages
Farsi
English
World Sales Company
NEW DOCSDasselstr. 75-77, 50674 Köln
Phone: +49 221 16819743
sales@newdocs.dehttp://www.newdocs.de
Links / Reference
gemini film & library gmbh
info@gemini-film.de
gemini-library.de
CO-PRODUCTION
SCHNEEGANS PRODUCTIONS
www.schneegans-productions.eu