The documentary “Faraway Land” is our second feature-length documentary film. In this case, Bea Jiménez, the creator of the project, contacted us after having seen “Rolling to Destiny”, telling us that she had lived an experience during her volunteering in Athens in 2016 that it was necessary to make known to the world: The media are drilling us every day with numbers of refugees, statistics, etc., and we have lost perspective on reality along the way. It is worth going to document what is happening, how are the experiences and the day to day of these refugees and how the ultimate need of the refugee is the same need that each of us has. One can live the drama of war or have the “life solved”, but the human heart always desires the same thing: to be welcomed, to be loved, to be accompanied, to be forgiven.
SYNOPSIS
Athens, 2017. Since the borders closed in March 2016, thousands of refugees remain stuck in the city, waiting to be relocated to other countries. A long and uncertain wait. Luckily, they are not alone: dozens of volunteers are there to support them in their day to day. Faraway Land documents the situation of people who have fled Syria and Afghanistan because of the violence and are now temporarily living in Greece. And, also, from other people who have decided to put aside their comforts to be with them. Stories of friendship between volunteers and refugees. Between human beings.
WHY
Greece has put all European countries between a rock and a hard place. Beyond its political situation and the Trance of Grexit, the arrival of more than one million refugees since 2015 has posed a moral challenge to the European spirit. Currently, it is estimated that there are around 62,000 refugees trapped in the country. Since the entry into force of the agreement between the EU and Turkey, the migration route has changed. Italy is the main country of arrival, with more than 9,400 people, most of them coming from North Africa. The focus has been on the Italian peninsula, and therefore it is easy to turn the page and forget all those who are still in Greece, trapped in a nonsense. Volunteers continue to be a decisive factor in Greece. The relationship that has emerged between them and the refugees, both there and in other parts of Europe, has formed a constellation of points of hope in the midst of the drama of the migratory phenomenon. Faraway Land is a documentary that aims to delve into the reality of the refugee-volunteer phenomenon. They have been able to survive the sea crossing to the mainland, but now they need to be welcomed, listened to and accompanied. Ultimately, they need to be saved once again.
MEDIA
Testimony
Madrid Film Festival
For his skill in addressing a humanly relevant topic, providing an unusual point of view and for his ability to convey emotions with sensitivity and without sensitivity.
