Beyond Borders – Stories of Freedom & Friendship

How do we go about making films for children fleeing wars and crises? What can such films accomplish? What inspiration can the cinema give these children for their future? Can film work relieve suffering or even provide hope? A group of 7 young filmmakers from Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, Colombia and Iran were selected to tackle these questions.

How do we go about making films for children fleeing wars and crises? What can such films accomplish? What inspiration can the cinema give these children for their future? Can film work relieve suffering or even provide hope? A group of 7 young filmmakers from Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, Colombia and Iran were selected to tackle these questions.

The initial ideas have led to the creation of seven outstanding cinematic concepts, each of which reflects a deep understanding for and addresses in its own highly unique way the needs of the refugee children – with genres ranging from short feature films and documentaries to animated productions. Each of these films examines a different aspect of life without a home or without a family, without friends, or even without familiar toys – and ostensibly without a future either. These short films offer a glimpse of a brighter future. One film opens a window to a more colourful world, another conveys the notion that a loss is guaranteed to be followed by a renewed sense of hope while others give the refugee children the necessary tools to regain their courage, acquire greater self-awareness and express themselves more freely. The seven short features were woven into an episode film, adding documentary material from Lebanon, Jordan and Greece. In this way, the wishes and dreams of the children reflected in the episodes meet with a reality that appears timeless, without denying them a future. This creates a near-poetic melancholy that is repeatedly broken up by the energy of the children – an energy that knows no bounds the world over.