85 minutes that will wreck your passport privilege.
A film about borders and border checkpoints, poetically following the people that come into contact with them - one way or another. Borders is about men and women dreaming of a better life in Europe and the high price they often have to pay for it - if they succeed at all. Without taking an immediate moral stance, the film follows the route that many immigrants take from the heart of Africa to the centre of Europe, stopping at each border: Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal , Mauritania, Morocco, Spain, France, Belgium, and finally, the Netherlands.
Direction
Van Vugt's patient observation lets dignity speak louder than despair.
Editing
Border-to-border structure mirrors the endless grind of the journey.
Cinematography
Desert landscapes as beautiful as they are menacing.
Director
Jacqueline van Vugt
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot during peak European border militarization, predating the 2015 'crisis' media frenzy by months.
Van Vugt spent years gaining access; the 'cast' are real people at real borders, not reenactments.
US
