ShortFilm competition
Harraga
MOROCCO, GERMANY | 86 min | 2023
The Moroccan boys Imad (15), Nourdine (17), Walid (18) and Hamza (17) live in a cave under the lighthouse in Melilla. Every night they break into the harbour trying to climb onto the ships leaving for the Spanish mainland. In the shadow of the rocks, they created a micro-society – with their own hierarchies, chants and rules. To pass the time, they phone their mothers on video or film themselves being chased by the police. The film follows the boys for 5 years. From their life in the caves to their escape attempts to Spain. They call themselves: Harragas – those who burn the passports, the borders, their lives.
Director:
Benjamin Rost
Screenwriter:
Hicham Bourais
Cinematography:
JONAS SCHNEIDER
cast:
Mohammed Imad, Said, Nourdine
production:
MSZ Filmproduction
Director:
Benjamin Rost
Benjamin Rost works as director and activist in Europe and Africa. He studied Directing at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and Philosophy in Munich. Between 2017 and 2019 he lived in Rwanda and South Africa to support the launch of the Youth TV Channel ‘Iwacu’ for the German Development Organisation (GIZ) and to shoot his graduation film ‘A Portrait on the Search for Happiness’ supported by ARD / SWR and MfG, which is available on Amazon Prime. With his Debut Project ‘Harraga – Those who burn their lives’ he participated at Documentary Campus Masterschool. Since then Benjamin is also a member of ACAN (Arab Cultures and Arts Network) and actively working in Morocco, where he got to know Hicham, who became a good friend and collaborator in working on Harraga on both sides of the border. His films were screened at various international festivals like Dok Leipzig, Dok.Fest München, Camerimage a.m.