Over the past decade, ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa have produced the largest wave of human migration since the World War II, with a majority of refugees targeting Europe as their destination. This series of award-winning documentary films offers insight into the human, political, economic, and ethical dimensions of a global crisis by juxtaposing European and non-European perspectives. The geographic scope of the series is vast, documenting itineraries originating in Syria, Afghanistan, Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Senegal; passing through Turkey, Libya, Morocco, and Serbia; terminating in Germany, Greece, France, and the U.K. This partnership is supported through IU Cinema’s Creative Collaborations program.

This series is sponsored by the Institute for European Studies, the departments of French and Italian and Spanish and Portuguese, the Center for the Study of the Middle East, and IU Cinema. You can follow the following link to the series' website: http://www.cinema.indiana.edu/?post_type=series&p=15017

Films:

Café Waldluft - Saturday, September 9, 2017, 7:00 p.m.

A quaint hotel in the Bavarian Alps that once catered to tourists has been rented by the German government to house migrants from across the globe. As the new arrivals struggle to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers, local residents respond and adapt to their international neighbors in a variety of ways. Though focusing on “lucky” refugees who have successfully made it to one of Europe’s preferred host countries, director Matthias Kossmehl insists that their journey to find a new home is still far from complete. In English, German, and Arabic with English subtitles. (2K DCP Presentation) 

The Land Between - Saturday, October 21, 2017, 7:00 p.m.

The Land Between is a documentary set in the Spanish-run enclave city of Melilla in northern Morocco—a potential gateway to Europe for African migrants and the largest migrant detention center on the continent. The film contrasts the institutional power of the European Union and its increasingly stringent border control polices with the desperation and resentment of Africans fleeing contemporary sociopolitical and economic hardships that originated in European colonialism. In English and French with English subtitles. (Digital Presentation)

Exudus: Our journey to Europe - Saturday, October 28, 2017, 6:30 p.m.

Composed of footage shot largely by refugees themselves on camera phones distributed by the director over the course of a full year, the film offers migrants a rare opportunity to speak in their own voices and to exercise an unusual degree of control over their representation on screen. By following a trio of protagonists of different ages, classes, and family situations from Syria, Afghanistan, and Gambia, the documentary emphasizes both the social diversity and shared humanity of refugees seeking a new life in Europe. In multiple languages with English subtitles. (HD Presentation)