Films about Forced Displacement
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Migration can be voluntary (for example, when we move abroad to study) and it can be forced. In the latter case, it is often the only means of saving one's life. For this year's World Refugee Day Garage has prepared a selection of films on forced migration. The earliest picture in the program dates back to 1945 and the latest came out a few years ago. Their makers represent different film traditions and offer different perspectives on migration, but invariably encourage us to remain human in relation to all humans regardless of their origin.
The Last Chance
Italy, 1943. Two prisoners of war—one American, the other British—escape and join a multi-national group of refugees heading to the neutral Switzerland. The Last Chance was shot to pressure the Swiss authorities to accept more refugees. An international success, it won the Grand Prize at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.

Director: Leopold Lindtberg
Switzerland, 1945. 113 min, 16+
Arch of Triumph
As more refugees arrive in 1930s Paris from Germany, the air is thick with the premonition of war. In this adaptation of the eponymous novel by novel Erich Maria Remarque, Dr. Ravic saves lives doing illegal operations and seeks revenge against the Nazi officer Haake, responsible for the death of his lover.

Director: Lewis Milestone
USA, 1948. 120 min, 16+
The Boat Is Full
A small group of refugees enters Switzerland during the war: several Jews, a French boy, and a deserting German soldier. The local people are willing to help, but Swiss migration law is strict and not everyone is allowed to stay.

Director: Markus Imhoof
Switzerland, 1981. 101 min, PG
Night Shapes
The film follows several Berliners in the 1990s. Mr Peschke comes to the airport to meet partners from Japan but instead befriends Feliz—a little boy from Angola. Although the picture has several independent storylines, Dresen himself insisted that the story of the refugee boy was the central one. Michael Gwisdek (Peschke) won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival.

Director: Andreas Dresen
West Germany, 1999. 101 min, 18+
Hotel Rwanda
The civil war in the Rwanda of the early 1990s leads to the genocide against the Tutsi by the Hutu. Paul, the manager of a large hotel, is Hutu, but his wife Tatiana is Tutsi. To protect his family, Paul offers them rooms in his hotel, and very soon they are followed by other refugees. The film is based on a true story.

Director: Terry George
UK, South Africa, Italy, 2004. 121 min, 16+
Welcome
Iraqi immigrant Bilal Kayani wants to travel to the United Kingdom to join his girlfriend. In Calais he meets Simon—a French swimming coach who, he hopes, can help him swim across the English Channel.

Director: Philippe Lioret
France, 2009. 110 min, 6+
Le Havre
Once, Marcel wanted to be writer, but now he has settled in Havre, works as a shoeshine, and spends time in his favorite bar or with his beloved wife. One day Marcel meets Idrissa a young illegal immigrant from Gabon, who wants to travel to the UK, and Marcel decides to help.

Director: Aki Kaurismäki
France, Finland, Germany, 2011. 93 min, 16+
Riverbanks
The story is set by the river Evros, which lies along the border between Greece and Turkey. Yannis and his regiment are clearing a minefield on the Greek side. In the night, local gangsters bring in migrants, some die in the minefield along the way. One day Yannis meets Chryssa, a woman who helps migrants cross the border, and they fall in love.

Director: Panos Karkanevatos
Greece, Germany, Turkey, France, 2015. 96 min
Mediterranea
Ayiva and Abas arrive in Europe seeking refuge after a perilous journey through Algeria and Libya and across the Mediterranean Sea. Landing in Southern Italy, they are met with hostility from the locals and with the prospect of low-paid jobs.

Director: Jonas Carpignano
Italy, France, USA, Germany, Qatar, 2015. 107 min
Dheepan
Dheepan, a former fighter of the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers, moves to France together with a woman and a little girl. Although they have nothing in common, they have to pretend they are a family to get political asylum. Together, they try to settle down.

Director: Jacques Audiard
France, 2015. 115 min, 16+
The Other Side of Hope
Syrian mechanic Khaled flees from the war-torn Aleppo and arrives in Finland, where he hopes to settle down and search for his lost sister, but has to face the possibility of deportation. He finds work in the restaurant of a former travelling salesman who has decided to start a new life.

Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Finland, Germany, 2017. 100 min, 16+