Tuesday, November 10, 2015
While the issue of refugees and migration together with its humanitarian and political aspects is widely discussed in Europe, a Greek documentary focusing on migration has been making waves and sweeping prizes.
"The Longest Run", by Marianna Economou, follows the plight of two under-aged ‘illegals’, a Syrian from Kobani and a Yazidi Iraqi, accused of smuggling immigrants and awaiting trial in a juvenile prison in Greece; if found guilty, they face long prison sentences. The documentary follows the events before, during and after their court case, focusing on their daily life in prison, their friendship, and their telephone calls with their parents who live in war zones. As their personal stories unfold, a tragic phenomenon that has been growing at alarming rates comes to light: professional human traffickers force under-aged illegal immigrants to transport people across the border from Turkey to Greece, making them smugglers themselves. This means that innocent boys end up serving sentences of up to 25 years in a foreign land.
The film won two prizes at the 58th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film: An Honorary mention in the International Competition Long and a prize from the ver.di Film Union.According to the Jury Statement, The Longest Run is "an important film the jury wishes to be seen all over the world, a very emotional and coherent documentary that brings current affairs to another level by telling its story with a tender approach to its characters. The jury finds the film important and timely".
The documentary also won the "Docs in Progress award" at the 17th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, March 2015.
