Prisoners of Fate: In the Limbo of the Asylum System
Published: Friday, Aug 4th 2023, 09:40
Mise à jour le : Vendredi, 13 octobre 2023, 14:12
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Mehdi Sahebi's documentary "Prisoners of Fate" documents the uncertain daily life of refugees in the mills of the local asylum system. The only Swiss contribution to the Critics' Week of the Locarno Film Festival will be premiered on Sunday. The filmmaker, who came to Switzerland as a refugee from Iran in 1983, accompanied his protagonists for several years in their efforts to find their way in the new country. The first contacts were already established in 2015, when Sahebi was invited to accompany the project of a refugee choir in Zurich with the camera. It quickly became clear that he had a special access to the Afghan and Iranian refugees - not only because of his knowledge of language and culture: "Because I had shared a similar fate, I was quickly on an equal footing with them," Sahebi explains in an interview with the news agency Keystone-SDA. The director was aware that "his film project was only at the beginning after the final concerts and he wanted to continue to accompany his protagonists". The greatest work was then to "give the main characters a deep profile, to examine their background stories, to film touching and meaningful scenes from their everyday life and to explore their relationship to Switzerland and their homeland". During the shooting, the director and the protagonists were confronted with new developments in their countries of origin - the takeover of power by the Taliban in Afghanistan or the popular uprisings in Iran after the violent death of Mahsa Amini. The political situation in both countries is like "a nightmare that seems to have no end". This is reflected in the destinies of the protagonists. Does Mehdi Sahebi hope that the film will influence the debate on asylum policy in Switzerland and Europe? He has his doubts, the director replies. "Films can create awareness, but they alone cannot change political decisions". On the other hand, films can contribute to "arousing empathy and promoting a deeper understanding of the destinies of asylum seekers". Most of Sahebi's protagonists will be present at the premiere of "Prisoners of Fate" on Sunday in Locarno. Their presence is only possible because the premiere takes place within Switzerland. A trip to another country would not have been possible for the provisionally admitted refugees.nnnn
©Keystone/SDA
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