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Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   460 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Philippe Lioret
Writers:
Olivier Adam (writer)
Emmanuel Courcol (writer)
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Welcome on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 March 2009 (France) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
Bilal is 17 years old, a Kurdish boy from Iraq. He sets off on an adventure-filled journey across Europe... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
3 wins more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
European Film Awards 2009: Rules & Relevance
 (From Alternative Film Guide. 7 November 2009, 9:00 PM, PST)
2009 Cinemania Film Fest: Mouret's Please Please Me and Mihaileanu's The Concert
 (From ioncinema. 19 October 2009)
User Comments:
Heartland Truly moving Picture more (6 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Vincent Lindon ... Simon
Firat Ayverdi ... Bilal

Audrey Dana ... Marion
Derya Ayverdi ... Mina
Thierry Godard ... Bruno
Selim Akgul ... Zoran (as Selim Akgül)
Firat Celik ... Koban
Murat Subasi ... Mirko
Olivier Rabourdin ... Lieutenant Caratini
Yannick Renier ... Alain
Mouafaq Rushdie ... Le père de Mina

Behi Djanati Atai ... La mère de Mina (as Behi Djanati Ataï)
Patrick Ligardes ... Le voisin de Simon
Jean-Pol Brissart ... Le juge
Blandine Pélissier ... La juge aux affaires familiales
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
France:110 min
Country:
France
Language:
French | Kurdish | English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital
Certification:
Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | South Korea:15
Company:
Nord-Ouest Productions more

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Factual errors: When Simon finds Mina in London, in the background is a sign for "Elephant and Castle Shopping Center" - in British English, the spelling "centre" would be used. more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful.
Heartland Truly moving Picture, 22 October 2009
10/10
Author: tollini from United States

I am a judge for the Indianapolis-based Heartland Film Festival. This feature film is a Crystal Heart Award Winner and is eligible to be the Grand Prize Winner in October of 2009. The Heartland Film Festival is a non-profit that honors Truly Moving Pictures. A Truly Moving Picture "…explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."

Bilal is a 17 year-old Kurdish boy from Iraq, who has just taken an arduous, three-month journey to Calais in France desperately trying to get to his girlfriend/fiancée in London. But in Calais he becomes stuck with many other clan-destines or illegal immigrants. These are people without a country. The French won't send them back to the Mid-East because there is a war going on. But they are not welcomed in France because they are clearly illegals. Even the local French people will violate French law if they help these clan-destines.

With this backdrop, Bilal comes up with the idea that he can swim the English Channel to get to his girlfriend. There is only one problem. He can't swim. He goes to a middle-aged French swim instructor, Simon, who not only teaches him how to swim, but also befriends him. Simon has his own problems. He is divorcing his wife and is terribly lonely. Bilal and Simon need each other and form a strangely beautiful symbiotic relationship.

This is a quiet and powerful statement on the individual courage and sacrifice of normal human beings. Bilal and Simon are single-minded in trying to do the right thing and will not be put off their objective. This is a very moving film that haunts you afterwords. It does not take a stand on legal or illegal immigration. It merely shows that these clan-destines are human like the rest of us and have their own stories.

FYI – There is a Truly Moving Pictures web site where there is a listing of past Truly Moving Picture Award winners that are now either at the theater or available on video.

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