When you spend a week with a free pass giving you acces to any screening that interests you, it’s easy to get lost in your juvenile desire in search for fun. But most of the time, the depth of the films you attend brings you back to reality.
On tuesday, the festival opened with the subject of immigration. One thing safe to say : the selection board has done a good job !
« immigration is a thing we owe as human beings », « Immigration is the reason for the lack of jobs in our countries », immigration is this, immigration is that, immigration is …
Well, if you were here on the 4th of December, you wouldn’t say any of these things. Here’s why:
Wardi, Le père d’Adnan (Adnan’s Father) et les refugiés de Saint-Jouin (Refugees of Saint-Jouin) break the common opinion that tend to either defend a political idea or a social fear. Animation, fiction, and documentary emphasize the human aspect through the issue of immigration which often tend to be perceived as numbers and headlines.
Beyond the entertainment that comes from watching a beautiful animation, relating to characters, and following a story we’re interested in, important messages pass through. The idea of identity and its struggles came through the whole audience (let’s remind that the theater was filled with kids from 8th grade to people from nursing homes). Yet, we all got the struggles of a dad who not only lost his home and job, but who also lost his dignifying title of doctor, the ability to express himself, and the right to well…be what makes him a person.
Hassana and Maral
