Simone does the PR at 1001 Production House In this reclaimed summer period (or late summer week) I’m confronted with stories about the horrible experiences of refugees in Amsterdam and other parts of the Netherlands. With hideouts like the Vluchtkerk, the Vluchtmarkt and Vluchthaven closing up or being labeled unsafe they have literally no way to go. Before my work at 1001 Production House I did noticed these news items, but since working with this film and with Nafiss I’m more aware of this situation. In our film Roya lives on the street, doesn’t have anywhere to go, doesn’t have any money or food, no shelter, no shower, nothing. She is all alone in a city with so much resources. That’s why I think the resolution of bed, bath and bread (like Amsterdam does with the homeless) is a good starting point with giving the refugees a human existence. It’s not like they like to live on the streets and choose to live in unsafe buildings.
With that in mind I’m thinking about the universal character of this project. This is of course not a Holland-bound problem. Refugees will always have these struggles, especially when their asylum is denied. What to do if the country you ran off to sends you back to the place you fear the most? Would you make the same decision Roya and so many others made? Staying in a city with no place to go, with no place to call home and no possibilities to build a new life for yourself? I’m intrigued these questions keep haunting me after working on this project and seeing the final version of this film. What would I do if I were in Roya’s shoes? Would I run? So together with the fact that this film is beautiful and the images are magnificent, the theme questions your view on refugees and the way they make decisions. Dance Iranian Style made me appreciate my situation even more. I have a house, a love, a family and more than one place to call home. One more reason to make this film a success is for all of those refugees with no place to stay. With this project we want to give them a voice, of at least we try. Next week: making festival plans and sending the last edit to 4 distributors. Everything is slowly coming together!
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