Reel Borders: Film and Borderlands

What does a border mean to those who must cross it? How can it be imagined? There are visible and invisible divides that profoundly shape migrant experiences and raise urgent questions about freedom, privacy, and human rights. Beyond visual markers and lines on a map, think of boundaries on digital devices, which impact access to information, services and spaces. 

This evening includes the screening of short films from Reel Borders, a project focusing on the relations between film and borders. Introduced by Irene Gutiérrez and Kevin Smets, lead researchers of the project, we see three border sites: the Irish border, the Ceuta exclave (Morocco-Spain), and Adana, Turkey-Syria. Through personal stories, these films show how people experience these physical and digital divides through personal stories. 

After the screenings, they will be joined by Giuseppe Fidotta to discuss film as a tool for creative expression, knowledge production, and activism, as well as its limitations: what remains impossible?

The evening will be moderated by Annamaria Neag.

The films are subtitled in English.