documentary, 56min, Mini DV, 4:3, 2008, Belgium
Co-directing: Christiane Schmidt, Didier Guillain
DoP: Christiane Schmidt, Didier Guillain
sound: Didier Guillain, Christiane Schmidt
editing: Christiane Schmidt
sound mixing: Loïc Villiot
grading: Michaël Cinquin
Festivals: Festival Filmer à tout prix/ Brussels, PleinOpenAir Cinéma Nova/ Brussels
Awards: Deutschen Menschenrechts-Filmpreis / German Human Rights Award
Synopsis: The occupied Saint Boniface Church in Brussels, a place where people without legal status take the floor, determined to take their destiny into their own hands. Rashid and the Bol family are among those who, after six months, leave the occupation holding a one-year residence permit. We follow them in their daily efforts to meet the conditions required for its renewal. Their paths cross with Hawa, who fled Guinea with her son to escape a forced marriage. She bears witness to her journey, from detention pending deportation to her release into a life without legal status. Words that confront us with our own acts of violence.
Christiane Schmidt 