The migration issue has been at the center of discussions in Italy and Europe for years. Since 2014, more than 51,000 children, men and women in the world have lost their lives trying to reach safety or to secure a better life (source: IOM). Many more have disappeared without being included in the statistics.
Inspired by this delicate theme, British director Duncan Rudd conceived and directed the animated short film The Path, which premieres on December 2 at the Fabriano Film Fest. The film was conceived during an art project dedicated to MOAS’ work during Refugee Week, thanks to a collaboration with Studio Treble, a digital agency based in Manchester.
Synopsis:
The story shows the journey (path) of a young girl who is forced to leave everything behind and flee in search of safety. Along the way, she is separated from her family and finds herself immersed in a hostile and frightening underwater world populated by eerie shadows and menacing creatures. But a light of hope guidse her out of the darkness, to finally re-embrace her loved ones.
The film is inspired by the work of MOAS-Migrant Offshore Aid Station, which was the first humanitarian organization to start private SAR missions in the Mediterranean in 2014 and has saved as many as 40,000 lives in three years, setting a model for other rescue organizations.
Today, MOAS brings humanitarian assistance to several crisis areas around the world (Yemen, Ukraine, Somalia, Bangladesh, Malta), and promotes #SafeAndLegalRoutes, calling on governments and institutions to put in place safe migration routes that comply with existing regulations and do not put migrants’ lives at risk.
Regina Catrambone, Co-Founder and Director of MOAS, says, “I thank Duncan Rudd for donating his time and talent to support MOAS and also the organizers of the Fabriano Film Fest for their sensitivity and support. The film vividly depicts the terror, the feeling of alienation and despondency that accompanies those who are forced to leave their country in search of safety, or a better future. But the story also leaves room for hope, because the happy ending, the final embrace, is a metaphor for family reunification, one of the Safe and Legal Routes promoted by MOAS through the global advocacy campaign.”
Valentina Tomada, Artistic Director of the Fabriano Film Fest, says, “Our festival has always had a special focus on important and controversial issues of our time. The phenomenon of migration and the need for ‘safe harbor’ are clearly among these important topics that the Fabriano Film Fest cares about. Making MOAS known is for us only a small, symbolic gesture in support of such an important activity.”
Duncan Rudd, director of the film, comments, “I tried to portray the mood, the emotions of fear, anxiety and vulnerability of migrants during their journey into the unknown. The underwater setting places the characters in an unfamiliar environment; the water deprives them of voice and reduces sight and hearing, allowing for the placement of eerie and threatening presences that amplify the sense of anxiety and vulnerability. I dedicate The Path to MOAS and to all those who tragically lost their lives at sea trying to reach Europe.”
For info and to join the #SafeAndLegalRoutes campaign: https://www.moas.eu/safeandlegalroutes/