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Leaving Greece

In 2008, Afghan teenagers Hossein, Reza and Kaka flee their homeland for Europe, hoping to find freedom and peace. They happen to arrive in Greece, but Greece is at the dawn of the economic crisis and soon it becomes clear that they cannot stay. However, they cannot leave either, since Greece’s frontiers are some of the best monitored in the continent. Yet the three friends keep trying to leave Greece in order to reach another European country and to pass through a legal asylum procedure. This is an undertaking that puts at risk not only their friendship, but also their lives.
A film about friendship – and the contradictory European refugee policy.
A refugee has to apply for asylum in the country in which they first set foot on European soil. That is a well-established fact. Less well-established is the fact that for 90% of all refugees, the Aegean Sea is the gateway to Europe. What does that mean for Greece? Capitulation: the Greek asylum system is completely swamped, both by sheer numbers and financially, and collapsed years ago. No one can stay in Greece, but no one can leave, either: the Greek authorities exercise extreme severity toward refugees who try to leave the country. That's what Europe wants and Europe is willing to accept dead bodies...

The film tells the very personal stories of three young Afghan refugees, Hossein, Reza and Kaka, who for the last three years have been trying to break the vicious circle. They met in a refugee camp on the island of Lesbos. Hossein, Reza and Kaka pursue the three paths available (or not) to refugees once they have conquered the outer borders of „Fortress Europe“: success, hope and resignation. This is an undertaking that puts at risk not only their friendship, but also their lives.

Zürich Film Festival//28.9.2013

Submission in the category Borderline / Medcins sans frontières

Hof - Internationale Hofer Filmtage//2013

Submission in the category Dokumentarfilm

Thessaloniki Documentary Festival//2014

Submission in the category Human Rights

DOK.fest München//2014

Submission in the category Münchner Premieren

Münchner Filmkunstwochen - Kulturreferat München//20.7.2014

Amnesty International//28.5.2014

Kino im U Dortmund//2014

Submission in the category Schulvorführungen

Volkshochschule Biberach//28.9.2014

Submission in the category Filmreihe

Astra Film Festival//2014

Submission in the category Miscellanea

London Greek Film Festival//2014

Baghdad International Film Festival//2014

Submission in the category Human Rights

Starter Filmpreis der Stadt München//15.10.2014

Award in the category Dokumentarfilm

Evangelische Stadtakademie München//28.1.2015

Reihe

Glockenbachwerkstatt München//26.10.2014

Submission in the category Reihe

Kino im Z Rosenheim//1.2.2015

Submission in the category Reihe

Westtorhalle Murnau//13.2.2015

Submission in the category Reihe

Millenium Film Festival//2015

Ethnocineca, Wien//5.5.2015

RAI International Film Festival of Ethnografic Film//16.6.2015

Submission in the category Studentensektion

Grimme Preis//2015

Trento Filmfestival//28.4.2016