I saw this movie at the IFFR festival in Rotterdam, and was very pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the movie. It gave a very interesting insight in the problems and challenges of refugees trying to get to Europe, using a mix of fiction (90% of the movie) and a bit of documentary footage. Sometimes it was not clear which was which, but I feel that only added to the experience.
It was during the Q&A after the film that we found out how the movie was made. Shot with three actual refugees who never acted before as the main characters, filmed with the twin sisters in Europe but still stuck in Athens. So all the 'Istanbul' scenes turned out to be shot in parts of Athens that looked like Turkey. This knowledge made the movie even more special.
After the movie in the lobby of the movie theatre we found out that the girls biggest dream had come true when they walked into the lobby with beautiful traditional Afghan dresses on. They made it to The Netherlands! I wish them a very happy life here.
It was during the Q&A after the film that we found out how the movie was made. Shot with three actual refugees who never acted before as the main characters, filmed with the twin sisters in Europe but still stuck in Athens. So all the 'Istanbul' scenes turned out to be shot in parts of Athens that looked like Turkey. This knowledge made the movie even more special.
After the movie in the lobby of the movie theatre we found out that the girls biggest dream had come true when they walked into the lobby with beautiful traditional Afghan dresses on. They made it to The Netherlands! I wish them a very happy life here.
