LEAVING GREECE
Anna Brass / Germany / 2013 / 79 min
with BOYA BOYA (SHINE SHINE)
Karen Boswall, Ruba Al Akash / Jordan, UK / 2014 / 18 min
30 November 2016. 12-2PM Room 309, Watts Building, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, BN2 4GJ

Organised by Film Festival Ambassadors Patricia Prieto Blanco and Paul Gilbert

The screening will be followed by a discussion lead by Dr Theodore Koulouris.

LEAVING GREECE (Anna Brass / 2013 / Germany / 79′)

When entering the EU for the first time, a refugee must submit an application for asylum. So much is clear. Less well known, however is the fact that for 90% of all refugees, the Aegean is the gateway to Europe. So what does this mean for Greece? Every aspect of the Greek Asylum system is so overstrained that it has effectively collapsed. No one is allowed to remain in Greece, and yet, according to the EU no one may leave. The Authorities are extremely harsh to those attempting to exit the country. ‘Leaving Greece’ tells the very personal story of three Afghan refugees: Hossein, Reza and Kaka, who have tried for years to break this vicious circle. A film about friendship – and the contradictory European refugee policy.

Winner of Wiley Blackwell Student Film Prize at the 2015 RAI Film Festival.

BOYA BOYA (SHINE SHINE) (Karen Boswall, Ruba Al Akash / 2014 / Jordan, UK / 18′)

A portrait of Syrian refugee Mohammed, a 12-year-old shoe shine boy, Boya Boya (Shine Shine) looks at the reality of the growing population of urban refugees from a child’s point of view. While supporting the women and children of his family, Mohammed still smiles and sings his way through his long working day cleaning shoes around the city of Irbid. With song and laughter, he touches the hearts of his clients, but for how long will he be able to keep finding and creating these moments of joy while carrying the burden of such responsibility and sadness?

Dr Theodore Koulouris, Lecturer in Media Theory BIOG

Since 2010 Dr Koulouris has been teaching and researching in the field of media studies and theory. He is specially interested in interrogating the media representations of the state, protest, resistance and propaganda as well as exploring practices and theories of social media. In his writing, Dr Koulouris draws onto Cultural studies and critical theory (Marxism [esp. Gramsci, Adorno], structuralism, post-structuralism [particularly Derrida, and Foucault]).

Part of the Film Festival Ambassador series.  Thanks to our dedicated RAI Film Festival Ambassadors, a selection of films from the RAI Film Festival Archive will be screening in universities and community venues across the UK between November 2016 and March 2017.