This is my 4th year at Zurich Film Festival(ZFF), an annual event end of September that I look forward to with great anticipation each year. It is a treat for cinema lovers and I especially enjoy watching international films and documentaries that otherwise I do not get to watch. What I cherish the most from these festival events is the chance to meet and listen to the directors, producers, film makers, caste and crew during Q&A sessions.
Yesterday night we opened our personal account of 12th annual ZFF with a documentary film borderland blues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwdzx9BR0g4
It is made by Austrian documentary film maker Gudrun Gruber who currently studies documentary film making at University of Films and Television in Munich.
http://www.gudrungruber.com/en/bio.html
Gudrun's work explores migration from various perspectives. Her prior work engages on stories of illegal migrants working in green houses in southern Spain and the identity conflicts of migrants and their struggle with belonging. This documentary film made as part of her course work discusses politics and perspectives on US-Mexico border in the state of Arizona. For me, it had some additional appeal in context of the statement of an american presidential election candidate who wants the president of Mexico to build a wall along this international border. I wanted to know more about this international border and what is going on there.
This 73 minute documentary film kept me glued to the screen, there were many moments of deep despair and few humorous scenes which made me shake my head in disbelief. I kept evaluating my own position, my views, my arguments and reasons as opposed to those expressed on the screen by various protagonists of her film. I felt extremely worried with the political discourse and the expo on intelligent technology with day and night vision and radar to scan the topography for any human movement. The death toll of almost 2600 people while crossing the border between 1991 to 2003 made me realise that this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is immense amount of suffering which doesn't culminate into death but which still affects human lives in much higher numbers. The self-proclaimed NGO of ex army men patrolling border and supporting border control officers, the humanitarians leaving water cans and food at strategic points for those trying to cross the border, the farmers and ranch owners worried about drugs being smuggled across into their cities, the native population in O'odham land being divided by the no man's land, the film successfully brings together varied perspectives on sensitive topic of illegal migration with immense neutrality. I think that is the biggest success of the film maker to narrate the story without taking sides or favouring one perspective over the other. She leaves you with many questions in your mind, the answers for which you have to find for yourself... but one thing is clear, the problem is not restricted to US-Mexico border, it is a universal narrative, whether in Europe or Asia... the world today is broiling with border conflicts, continuous flow of refugees, countless number of people putting themselves in grave danger in hope of finding a safe place, the alienation and disappointment, the deaths and suffering....
The Q&A was in German so I lost a lot of details but I believe movie clearly succeeded in creating a storm of thoughts in my head. I am a immigrant/emigrant myself, albeit a legal one. In some ways I can relate to these dreams and hopes of good life, but as a social scientist, I also can understand the social and cultural conflict it creates, the fear of the host country and societies that they might lose 'their' way of life. There is ongoing debate on what successful integration should be like and is it possible to truly integrate two strikingly different cultures and ways of living... integration is often considered and expected to be the primary responsibility of those who are migrants, but it cannot be just the one way traffic... and the host societies need to demonstrate large amounts of patience, deep commitment to social welfare of the citizens as well as refugees and asylum seekers. I understand the fear of bad elements entering a host society but can we ignore the suffering of many innocents to not allow the bad apples. I know I am no expert on politics or migration studies but the film definitely pushed me to question my own assumptions, prejudices, fears and arguments. That doesn't mean I found my clear position. I guess that will take a life time of reflection and work...
Yesterday night we opened our personal account of 12th annual ZFF with a documentary film borderland blues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwdzx9BR0g4
It is made by Austrian documentary film maker Gudrun Gruber who currently studies documentary film making at University of Films and Television in Munich.
http://www.gudrungruber.com/en/bio.html
Gudrun's work explores migration from various perspectives. Her prior work engages on stories of illegal migrants working in green houses in southern Spain and the identity conflicts of migrants and their struggle with belonging. This documentary film made as part of her course work discusses politics and perspectives on US-Mexico border in the state of Arizona. For me, it had some additional appeal in context of the statement of an american presidential election candidate who wants the president of Mexico to build a wall along this international border. I wanted to know more about this international border and what is going on there.
This 73 minute documentary film kept me glued to the screen, there were many moments of deep despair and few humorous scenes which made me shake my head in disbelief. I kept evaluating my own position, my views, my arguments and reasons as opposed to those expressed on the screen by various protagonists of her film. I felt extremely worried with the political discourse and the expo on intelligent technology with day and night vision and radar to scan the topography for any human movement. The death toll of almost 2600 people while crossing the border between 1991 to 2003 made me realise that this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is immense amount of suffering which doesn't culminate into death but which still affects human lives in much higher numbers. The self-proclaimed NGO of ex army men patrolling border and supporting border control officers, the humanitarians leaving water cans and food at strategic points for those trying to cross the border, the farmers and ranch owners worried about drugs being smuggled across into their cities, the native population in O'odham land being divided by the no man's land, the film successfully brings together varied perspectives on sensitive topic of illegal migration with immense neutrality. I think that is the biggest success of the film maker to narrate the story without taking sides or favouring one perspective over the other. She leaves you with many questions in your mind, the answers for which you have to find for yourself... but one thing is clear, the problem is not restricted to US-Mexico border, it is a universal narrative, whether in Europe or Asia... the world today is broiling with border conflicts, continuous flow of refugees, countless number of people putting themselves in grave danger in hope of finding a safe place, the alienation and disappointment, the deaths and suffering....
The Q&A was in German so I lost a lot of details but I believe movie clearly succeeded in creating a storm of thoughts in my head. I am a immigrant/emigrant myself, albeit a legal one. In some ways I can relate to these dreams and hopes of good life, but as a social scientist, I also can understand the social and cultural conflict it creates, the fear of the host country and societies that they might lose 'their' way of life. There is ongoing debate on what successful integration should be like and is it possible to truly integrate two strikingly different cultures and ways of living... integration is often considered and expected to be the primary responsibility of those who are migrants, but it cannot be just the one way traffic... and the host societies need to demonstrate large amounts of patience, deep commitment to social welfare of the citizens as well as refugees and asylum seekers. I understand the fear of bad elements entering a host society but can we ignore the suffering of many innocents to not allow the bad apples. I know I am no expert on politics or migration studies but the film definitely pushed me to question my own assumptions, prejudices, fears and arguments. That doesn't mean I found my clear position. I guess that will take a life time of reflection and work...
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