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Europe's perfected crime

Book review written by dieter@gmail.com
Eldorado
Regissør: Markus Imhoof
(Sveits/Tyskland)

The documentary Eldorado addresses Europe's cynical treatment of refugees and reminds us that Europeans themselves were on the run for scarce 100 years ago.

It has become common to see the same lying along the borders of Europe as part of the "state of things". Surveillance planes and rescue bans are limited and held back to cover the bleak visibility of the disaster: It is preferable for people to die in hiding.

What can a filmmaker do in the face of the globalization of humanitarian disasters? IN Eldorado – presented at the Berlin this year – director Markus Imhoof uses his own personal memories to shed light on our current migration crisis. Through a low voice
The audience gets to take part in his exchange of letters with a childhood friend, the war refugee Giovanna.

Giovanna was a starving Italian girl during World War II. Among so many other needy young refugees, she was left in a depot just after the outbreak of war, in Imhoof's hometown not far from Zurich. Through the Red Cross 'transport program for children, Imhoof's family adopted the little girl, helping Giovanna and her family for a short period on neutral, Swiss soil. Despite the scarcity of goods, Markus' family shared their food with Giovanna. . .

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dieter@gmail.com
Wieczorek is a critic living in Paris.

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