I Made a Mistake Coming Here

Novembre 2021, Bélarus. Dans un entrepôt, des milliers de personnes originaires du Moyen-Orient sont agglutinées. Elles sont venues dans l’espoir de franchir la frontière européenne, encouragées par le gouvernement bélorusse : Alexandre Loukachenko les a « invitées » dans le but de créer une crise migratoire à la frontière polonaise. Une famille kurde décide de ne pas risquer sa vie et demande l’asile politique en Europe, aidée par trois volontaires biélorusses. Ces jeunes femmes – une entrepreneuse, une géologue et une journaliste – font tout pour améliorer la vie de la famille et risquent leur propre sécurité pour les soutenir. Alors qu’elles discutent ensemble de l’amour filial, de la patrie, de la culture et de l’espoir de liberté, les arrestations arbitraires deviennent quotidiennes en Biélorussie et les trois femmes sont elles aussi contraintes d’envisager l’exil.
Louis Beaudemont (France)
Esther van Messel (Suisse)
First Hand Films
Les Steppes Productions
- Supporting Aziz’s family case to help them settle down in good conditions - it could pave the way for other migrants stuck in Belarus.
- To reveal the cynical strategy of political leaders who create or maintain a “migrant crisis” that has led to the death and displacement of thousands.
- Changing the ideas we have on ‘migration’ to ‘forced migration’, to highlight how it affects people on different levels.
- To reveal how the map of forced migrations has changed quickly over the last five years (Ukraine, Belarus, Asia).
- Media campaign (gathering a coalition of journalists we can trust and that have already investigated migrants' rights worldwide) to raise awareness on the situation of Middle Eastern forced migrants in Belarus, and of Belarusian forced migrants in Europe. And to show how States use migration for geopolitical and internal political purposes.
- Involve decision makers to raise the question of human trafficking created by the Belarusian government and to find tools to help forced migrants like Aziz's family.
- Involve lawyers to consider what kind of prosecution can be launched against the government.
- Support Aziz's family's legal situation and consider the security of the film crew and characters during the impact campaign and film distribution.
Organisations
Amnesty International
Reporters Without Borders – In talks
Funders
IMS – International Media Support – In talks
Organisations
Amnesty International
Reporters Without Borders – In talks
Funders
IMS – International Media Support – In talks