We no longer want to accept that people continue to suffer and die at our borders. Many documentaries exist that depict personal stories and tell the 'big story' through the lens of the individual. We believe it is urgent that we tell the 'big story' of the EU's external borders and the system behind it that has lead to recurring humanitarian emergencies at different 'hotspots' for over 25 years.
We embarked on a three-month research trip with our camera in summer 2017 to some of these current and past hot-spots in order to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of EU border politics and gathered 60 hours of film material. We took part in a NGO rescue mission in a small vessel off the Libyan coast. We drove down the Western Balkan route through Serbia to Northern Greece, and visited Chios in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast. Finally, we travelled to Morocco and Ceuta.
In our film, we explain that migration cannot and will not be stopped (through increased border enforcement) and examine the role of the security industry in keeping up this game. Only by showing the underlying mechanisms of recurring emergencies can we go beyond and give voice to people who have thought about humane alternative options to migration and border management and generate sustainable change.