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.
