Join us for a screening of the groundbreaking documentary chronicling the real story of five Syrian refugees' journey across Europe from Milan to Stockholm in November 2013, documented and aided by European filmmakers and human rights activists. The film was directed by Gabriele del Grande, Khaled Soliman Al Nassiry, and Antonio Augugliaro.
This event is located in Menschell Hall in the lower level of the Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA.
Co-sponsored by the Center for European Studies and the Harvard Art Museums.
Trailer:
Synopsis:
“A Palestinian poet and an Italian journalist meet five Palestinians and Syrians in Milan who entered Europe via the Italian island of Lampedusa after fleeing the war in Syria. They decide to help them complete their journey to Sweden – and hopefully avoid getting themselves arrested as traffickers – by faking a wedding. With a Palestinian friend dressed up as the bride and a dozen or so Italian and Syrian friends as wedding guests, they cross halfway over Europe on a four-day journey of three thousand kilometers.
This emotionally charged journey not only brings out the stories and hopes and dreams of the five Palestinians and Syrians and their rather special traffickers, but also reveals an unknown side of Europe – a transnational, supportive and irreverent Europe that ridicules the laws and restrictions of the Fortress in a kind of masquerade which is no other than the direct filming of something that really took place on the road from Milan to Stockholm from the 14th to the 18th of November 2013.”
-from the directors
The context:
“In European embassies their passports are worthless. And so, month after month, thousands of Syrians and Palestinians turn to Libyan and Egyptian smugglers to be ferried across the Mediterranean on dilapidated, makeshift boats. Fleeing the war in Syria to seek asylum in Europe. Italy is just a transit country. The objective is Sweden. After reaching Sicily, they continue their journey from Milan, by car, resorting yet again to smugglers. Current immigration laws give them no alternative. Unless of course somebody decides to disobey these laws, which is what we did.”
-from the directors
Reviews:
VICE NEWS: “These Guys Faked a Wedding to Smuggle Syrian Refugees and Filmed It” - Read
FRANCE 24: “Film captures mad odyssey of Syrian refugees through Europe” - Read
For complete coverage including photos, videos, and press coverage from around the world, visit the film's official website, here.
