‘The game’ is what young migrants call their attempts to cross borders in Europe. It’s a game with great risks. Inside Europe, fences have been erected and borders closed, making it increasingly difficult to reach the final destination. Some children make it; others don’t. Meanwhile, in their search for a better life, these kids often spend years on the road. All while they are growing up and becoming young adults. Shadow Game is a mosaic story that follows several adolescents as they journey through Europe. Fleeing poverty and war, they – and their families – have fixed their hopes on Europe: a safe and prosperous place where people are kind and human rights are respected. But once in Europe, they find things aren’t quite as idyllic as they expected.

By making this film and an interactive version, we aim to both confront and inform viewers about the current situation in Europe: the violation of the Children’s rights treaty which all European countries have signed. We all condemn the barbaric border between the U.S. and Mexico, but most people do not know that these borders exist within Europe. We believe it is necessary to continuously think about our role as storytellers, to reinvent the way we use media and reach our audience. We make stories because we believe that you can change someone’s view of the world. Not from black to white or vice versa, but to make it more layered and complex, a story that offers space for different voices. A story that can prevent uninformed cynicism.