Deptford double-bill from the London Migration Film Festival

Abla Kandalaft — 2018-11-30T13:36:03Z

Revenir by David Fedele and Kumut Imesh

Revenir is an immensely valuable film. Now living in France, Kumut Imesh, a refugee from the Ivory Coast, teams up with filmmaker David Fedele to retrace his journey through African and into Europe. With his current residency status still dangerously precarious, Kumut heads back to Africa alone, camera in hand.

And thus starts a truly brave, audacious and very risky endeavour that gives the viewing public in Europe the chance to see what that journey looks like for the desperate people undertaking it, in all its detail and humanity. The minute-to-minute struggles faced by Kumut are ultimately what provoke the most sympathy and outrage, more so than the macro-narratives of escape from war and poverty; Kumut falls seriously ill, he doesn't have access to a bed or a shower, he is detained, his equipment is stolen... he is increasingly exhausted and depressed.

Ideally, Revenir would enjoy the widest possible distribution. I would love for it to be broadcast in schools and on television. This might go some way to change the all-pervasive ignorant narrative currently woven about African refugees.

More info about the film here.
Revenir will be screened at Deptford Cinema Monday 3 December, 7pm

Royal Cafe by Tenzin Dazel & Rémy Caritey

This is Swiss-Tibetan filmmaker Tenzin Dazel's no-budget short about Paris's Tibetan community in all its mundanity. Funny, sad, trivial little stories and interactions flourish around the central hub of the Royal Cafe, a popular meeting place. Sober, unexpectedly funny and touching, Dazel's second effort establishes her as a serious, talented film director.

The film will be screened as part of an afternoon of shorts about gender and community at Deptford Cinema on 2 December at 5.30.

Double-bill from the London Migration Film Festival 2018

Kai Ellis — 2018-11-15T08:36:14Z

The Postman by Vahid Keshavarz

Vahid Keshavarz's documentary short The Postman profiles Hadi, an Iranian poet living in London and working as a postman. There is a quiet dignity to Hadi as he goes about his round, scribbling his verses as they come to him on Royal Mail delivery cards, fearful of forgetting them later on. Hadi doesn't talk of fleeing Iran, but rather of coming to London to follow his wife as she undertook a post-graduate course in 2004. We see him contemplatively take a smoking break while sat on a wall as we hear him read his poetry in Farsi. It's unfortunate that in places the English sub-titles have not been proof-read, which is a distraction at times. He laments that “there is not much eye contact here between the people.” Keshavarz takes a considered pace for this simple portrait, but I couldn't help feeling that we could have got to know Hadi more than we do. At one point we see him return home to collate the day's stanzas and he calls up to his child, but this is not developed, and there is seemingly no sign of his wife either, leaving the viewer to wonder if she remains a part of his life. Still, it's a timely reminder of those who visit us every day, often taken for granted, and have a story of their own to tell.

Watch the film in our Short of the Week section.

Our Kind of Love by Azeem Bhati, Elham Ehsas

Azeem Bhati and Elham Ehsas share writing and directing credit on this charming short that tells the story of a young couple, Samira (Afsaneh Dehrouyeh) and Harun (Elham Ehsas), who are seemingly on a blind date. We meet them in a London sushi restaurant, both nervous yet clearly attracted to each other. We learn that Samira has only recently arrived from Afghanistan whereas Harun is evidently a seasoned Londoner, albeit of Afghani heritage. Initial small talk of the difference between dogs in London and Kabul (in the former they are pets, in the latter guard dogs) and their shared love of Afghan music soon turns to more heart-felt conversation. Samira pines for someone who remains in Aghanistan, clutching a letter and a passport photograph of them close by. Meanwhile, Harun is distracted by phone calls he initially tries to ignore before giving in and trying to cut ties with the caller, who is seemingly from his recent past. Samira returns to thoughts of home as we see projections of her inner memories: birds flocking above the streets of Kabul, accompanied by the distant sound of children's voices. Samira and Harun stand on the precipice of a new life together, yet with its foundations clearly rooted in their
shared traditional heritage. Can they leave their old lives behind and step into the future together? Our Kind of Love is elegantly paced with a simple, yet heart-felt, story and Ehsas and Dehrouyeh give touching performances, portraying a genuine, human connection throughout.

The London Migration Film Festival runs from 29 November to 5 December. More information and full programme of films and talks here.

myDylarama

Deptford double-bill from the London Migration Film Festival

Double-bill from the London Migration Film Festival 2018