Five Days on Lesvos
1 million refugees fled to Europe by sea in 2015. Half came through the Greek Island of Lesvos. This film captures the experiences of those on the frontline during a unique period of time... Five days that embodied the entire crisis - and Europe’s collective failure to deal with it.
Interview with Producer Samantha Brown
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
During the summer of 2015, when the refugee crisis was really starting to hit the headlines, I was becoming increasingly frustrated by the media and politicians’ emphasis on the inconvenience they were causing to the UK and Europe (e.g. PM David Cameron referring to the ‘swarm of people’ heading our way), rather than the fact that we were witnessing the biggest humanitarian crisis of recent history. I read an article in the Guardian about grass roots efforts around Europe to help the refugees (here it is - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/03/europeans-who-welcome-migrants), and the story about Lesvos really stuck out. I sent it to Richard, the director, highlighting that section, and within 2 weeks we had made contact with the Kempsons and booked our flights.
Why is the film called 'Five Days on Lesvos?'
The development period, if we can really call it that, was so short that when we got to Lesvos we didn’t have a specific plan… We just knew we wanted to cover as much of what was happening as possible in the time we had. We had both managed to get a week off work, and we had these absurd flights that took 12+ hours from London to Lesvos with a layover in Rome. So we had 5 full filming days. We had thought this could be the first of multiple trips, either to the island, or following refugees we met along their route through Europe.
But it turned out that those 5 days felt like a real tipping point in the crisis – both on the island and across the continent as a whole. So in the end, the most powerful way to tell the story of what we captured was a chronological look at those 5 days. I feel like it’s almost a time capsule of a very chaotic period of time that shouldn’t be forgotten. But those five days, in many ways, define the entire refugee crisis.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
A key theme in the film is the idea of unintentional heroes. Many of the volunteers we meet, like Eric and Mike, have found themselves in this situation, and can’t just ignore what is happening around them. But even volunteers who travelled to the island specifically to help, like Nicolaas, didn’t expect the situation to be as chaotic as they found it. So this 19 year old who just has a spare fortnight before he resumes his studies and wants to lend a hand, finds himself right in the middle of this effort to help, having huge responsibility on his shoulders.
The refugees are also heroes. The strength and resilience they exhibit is humbling. They shouldn’t be in this situation, but they are, and they cope with these inhuman conditions with startling grace. All our characters have been thrust into this situation, and the way they’re coping with it is key to the whole film. Hope is the other big theme. Despite the fact that the subject we’re covering is so bewildering and distressing, there’s this overwhelming hope – both for the future of the people seeking safety, but also hope for humanity.
Why did you decide to focus on the characters that you chose? Are you still in contact with them?
Eric is the only character we really decided to focus on in a traditional sense. We’d made contact with him before we arrived, and our first filming was with him looking across the sea to the Turkish coast, as he did at the crack of dawn every morning. The other characters, I would say, really chose us! Nicolaas was immediately really engaging and articulate, so after meeting him filming the first scenes you see with him we exchanged details and caught up with him the following days. Jawed came over to chat to us when we were filming GVs in Mytilene and, again, he was just so warm and likeable that we struck up a relationship with him. We’re still in touch with all the main characters. I did give Jawed our number on the island, but obviously keeping in touch with us wasn’t exactly his top priority at the time. I managed to track him down in Sweden a few months later, and it’s really lovely keeping up to date with how he’s getting on over there.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Feedback has been really positive – if coming away outraged can be described as that. We premiered at Raindance 2016 where we were nominated for Best UK Feature. The audiences seemed to really engage with the film and its subject, and there were a few wet eyes in the room, which hopefully means it has the kind of impact we were hoping for! More recently we’ve been nominated for Best Documentary at the National Film Awards in the UK.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
No, not yet. I wonder if this is because we’ve had limited screenings so far, and so people who have seen the film are more likely to take an active interest in the crisis and are more inclined to support refugees and their rights. It’s that echo chamber effect that is so prevalent at the moment. I wonder if that might change if we were to secure wider distribution – would people watch the film who aren’t engaged with the issue/don’t look at refugees positively, and could we challenge their opinions? I would like to find out. It’s also interesting, because the political landscape has changed so much since we finished the film… Some of the things that happen actually have more resonance now than they did when we filmed it. The events of the refugee crisis that summer seem to have been one of the main catalysts for the worrying scenes we see across Europe – in fact the world – with the rise of nationalism and the risk of the EU breaking up. I do wonder if in ten years time, that summer will be seen as the beginning of all this.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I’m really keen to increase awareness about the film, and in turn hopefully be able to get it in front of a wider audience. We originally set out to make something that would raise awareness, and the more people who learn about the film the more likely this is to happen.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We’re a tiny team – just myself and the director Richard Wyllie – and have funded the project ourselves. While we are both experienced broadcast documentary makers, this is our first venture into independent features. So, we are in need of anybody who can help us reach a wider audience.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The dream would be for it to screen at more festivals, receive press attention creating more of a buzz around the film, and then be picked up for wider distribution. I think it’s a really beautiful film deserving of an audience, but I’m also keenly aware of the potential it has for social impact, and I would like it to have the best possible chance to raise awareness and influence decision makers. It’s fantastic that we’re being nominated for awards, but I would love for more people to see the film!
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
If you are forced to flee your country due to war or human rights abuses, whose responsibility do you become, and should you have any say in where your new home will be?
Would you like to add anything else?
I’d also like to mention the fantastic music we have in the film. A British artist called Sam Lee very kindly allowed us to use his instrumental tracks in the film. I’d seen him perform a few years previously, and when thinking about the soundtrack for the film he was my first port of call. His work is particularly poignant because he collects and reworks songs handed down through the generations within the Traveller and Gypsy communities, many of which feature the themes and imagery of exile. His instrumentation - a rich cultural mix, difficult to place in time or geographic origins - fits perfectly with the themes and tone that resonate through the film.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Richard is working on a big access driven observational documentary for the BBC, and I’ve just finished working on a documentary for Channel 4 about a well-known London icon. We’re in the early stages of developing our next independent documentary collaboration.
Interview: February 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Five Days on Lesvos
1 million refugees fled to Europe by sea in 2015. Half came through the Greek Island of Lesvos. This film captures the experiences of those on the frontline during a unique period of time... Five days that embodied the entire crisis - and Europe’s collective failure to deal with it.
Length: 62 minutes
Director: Richard Wyllie
Producer: Samantha Brown
About the writer, director and producer:
Richard Wyllie has been directing documentaries for 10+ years, for channels including BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in Britain, PBS and Nat Geo in the USA.
Samantha Brown has worked on the production and development of a wide range of broadcast, online and commercial documentary projects in the UK.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists. Basically all of the above!
Where can I see it in the next month? There are no screenings in the diary yet, but we’re still waiting to hear back from a long list of festivals, so watch this space! You can keep up to date via our website www.fivedaysonlesvos.com, or on social media we’re @5daysonlesvos.