Film: Evaporating Borders

My film quest today took me to Evaporating Borders, in the Barbican. When I checked yesterday, I saw that over half of the seats were booked, so booked myself - otherwise, with all I have on at work at the moment, I wouldn't have bothered going.

Google Maps had a few suggestions on how to get there - trouble is, there is no single obvious route. I have a couple of favourites by this stage though, so will be following my own judgement from now on, for this venue at least. So it was that I took the Piccadilly line to Kings Cross / St Pancras, and another Tube from there to Barbican Station. And then it's easy - under the tunnel, straight to the Barbican. In particular, I was heading to Cinema 2 this evening, which is on the left as you exit the tunnel. Easy.

For this performance, I was sat between the young lady who obviously had no hanky, as she snuffled through most of the film - when she wasn't texting - and, on my other side, the elderly lady who fell asleep and snored loudly through most of the film. Ironically, her companion, who asked a question in the Q+A afterwards, mentioned that he had found the documentary fascinating..

It turned out to be part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. The festival ends on Friday, so I won't have another chance to go, sadly. Anyway, the film was introduced by a softly spoken woman with an American accent (never fear, she had a mic), an old school friend of the director, apparently. The film, it seems, was part of the requirements for a Masters in Fine Arts. The director is Yugoslav by birth, and grew up as a refugee in Cyprus. And she decided to make her film about the refugees in Cyprus.

As a film, it's not terrific. It's ok, and the subject matter is interesting, but the review on IMDB describes it very accurately as "muddled". It's very short on specifics, preferring to concentrate on interviews with refugees, as well as some officials, and one activist working on behalf of refugees. Specific details and precise numbers are not much in evidence. Also, as one questioner at the end pointed out, it would have been nice to hear what the director's own experience as a refugee was - she explained that her experience was different, that it's far worse now. But we could have done with hearing that in the film.

The story of refugees in Cyprus, however, on the basis of this film, is a depressing one. The director describes "institutionalised racism" on the part of the Cypriot government, which is aided by the media, which paints a very black picture of refugees. International law is regularly flouted, people are imprisoned without cause, and continue to be detained, even after courts order their release. Despite hundreds of refugees receiving state benefits, last year, only 26 were granted asylum, in total. This despite many coming from Syria, whose refugees, apparently, countries are obliged to accept. Not much welcome for them on this island, some of whose native citizens were interviewed, and spouted the same old racist rhetoric we hear all over. Some of the most disturbing scenes involved rallies by ELAM, a far-right fascist group that is recognised as a political party in Cyprus.

In all, it left me with a sour taste in my mouth for Cyprus - not that I was considering holidaying there, but if I had been, this film would have changed my mind. Very disturbing look at Cypriot society.

Well, 'tis back to Ireland tomorrow. But first, we have a farewell lunch at the Dragon Palace for our colleague who is, sadly, leaving us. Then I've got La Boheme at the University Concert Hall, Limerick on Wednesday, the Clare Drama Festival on Thursday, A Skull in Connemara in UCH again on Friday, and Noye's Fludde at St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick on Saturday. And then the London merry-go-round starts again.