This is a semi-documentary film in three acts. Three groups of refugees sit facing a teacher in a classroom. The teacher is an actor, but the class is made up of real refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Mali, Somalia, and the Ivory Coast. In this laboratory-like situation, the actor plays a European who demonstrates how people are currently talking about their newly arrived neighbors. In act 1, the teacher focuses on the slogan “go home and build your own welfare state, we don’t want you,” which is certainly the crassest thing that can be said to a refugee’s face. The good guy in act 2, on the other hand, is full of understanding for their dire situation. He feels guilty about his colonial heritage, and he doesn’t think there are any financial problems whatsoever for wealthy Europe. Act 3 then addresses the legal aspect and demonstratively shows what chances they have to be granted asylum based on their origin and how they got here. One by one, they must leave the room.
Although the refugees were informed beforehand about the structure of this film experiment, and even though they knew that the actor’s dialogue was scripted, the film is nonetheless disturbing in its frankness when illustrating the mood in Europe that oscillates between two opposite extremes. Hendrikx’s film is meant to be provocative, and in the epilogue filmed on the street, the actor continues to tell refugees passing by how much films like this costs, and how big the budgets are in the film industry…
Special Jury Award IDFA
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Guido Hendrikx geb. 1987, studierte Freie Kunst und Kunstwissenschaften an der Universität Utrecht. Während des Studiums arbeitete er als Freelancer für verschiedene Medien. 2010 begann er sein Studium für Dokumentarfilmregie an der Dutch Film Academy. Er realisierte mehrere Kurzfilme u.a. DAY IS DONE (2010), STUDYFACTORY (2013), ESCORT (2013), ONDER ONS (2014).
