An NFTS documentary has been praised by human rights pressure groups, politicians and the Press for shining a light on the lives of teenage asylum-seeking boys in an immigration centre, after it was broadcast on national TV in Denmark.
The film, No Man’s Land, Directed by 2013 graduate Michael Graversen, is a fly-on-the-wall documentary that shows the emotional impact of immigration policies on ‘unaccompanied minor asylum seeking’ boys awaiting notice of their right to remain in Denmark. Some are as young as nine-years-old and have left family and friends behind; many of them wait for several years in this ‘no man’s land’ before being informed that their cases are not successful.
The film, which was recently broadcast on national TV station (DR2) in Denmark and is due to be shown again in June, has been applauded by human rights groups and non-governmental organisations (NGO’s).
Anders Ladekarl the General Secretary of the Red Cross– the largest NGO in Denmark - called it, “a moving and important documentary.”
Unicef has recommended that their members see the film saying it is “…a REALLY good and relevant half an hour of television…Michael Graversen has created a touching portrait of the traumas, thoughts and worries a number of unaccompanied refugee children take with them to an asylum centre. We have been so lucky to see the film upfront and give it our warmest recommendations!”
After the screening Amnesty International has issued an official statement saying that the film, “…gives a good and thought provoking image of the unaccompanied minor’s everyday life at a Danish asylum centre. By portraying some the children’s mental issues is focuses on one of the core questions that is: Can the young boys and girls get a meaningful life, when they for so long live with uncertainty about their case?”
And Save The Children also applauded the film officially stating that: “The documentary gives a unique image of what years of waiting can do to one of the most exposed groups of children In Denmark: the unaccompanied refugee children. The films brutally honest portrait of the children’s frustration, anger and grief is a strong testament and an important contribution to the debate about the children’s situation.”
The documentary has also received widespread attention in the Danish media. National radio and TV channels covered the film’s broadcast and Michael has made several TV and radio appearances speaking about the film and the issue of unaccompanied minors. The national newspaper Information dedicated a whole page to the issue and the difficult process of making the film with the headline “A portrait of emptiness.”
The film has also created ripples in political circles. The Leader of the Danish political party Enhedslisten is considering taking action as a result of seeing the film and raising questions on the issue to the Minister of Justice. The Danish government’s Division of Family Affairs and the Danish Refugee Youth Council are screening the film at special events for all their employees. And Døgnvagten in Copenhagen has asked for copies of the film to distribute internally.
The film was sent to all the members of the Danish Parliament before the screening and has also been picked up by the Salaam DK scheme that will be showing the film to students during a tour of schools in the Autumn.
“I am happy that the film touches people’s hearts and casts a light on the young boys and girls travelling alone to Europe and Denmark to seek asylum. The film puts a human face on the sometimes distant and theoretical rhetoric that’s being used in public when dealing with these immigration issues. Most importantly it means a great deal to the kids to be seen and heard,” says Michael Graversen.
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