Little Alien

Movie
German title	Little Alien
Original title	Little Alien
Country of production	Austria , Greece , Morocco , Slovakia , Spain
original language	German , Dari , Somali , Arabic , English
Publishing year	2009
length	94 minutes
Age rating	FSK 0 ; JMK 0
Rod
Director	Nina Kusturica
script	Nina Kusturica
production	Mobile film production
camera	Christoph Hochenbichler, additional camera: Eva Testor, Nora Friedel
cut	Julia Pontiller, Nina Kusturica
occupation
	Nura Bishar; Asha Abdirahman; Yes, Najafi; Alem Ghamari; Ahmed Khodadadi; Achmad Abdirahman; Khalil Karimi; Juma Hassani;

Little Alien is a documentary by Austrian director and film producer Nina Kusturica on the subject of unaccompanied minor refugees .

content

The protagonists of the film are teenagers who, alone and at great risk, flee to Europe from the crisis regions of the world. Nina Kusturica conveys a complex picture of the hopes and dreams of young refugees who, after their escape, are confronted with a sometimes absurd and inhuman bureaucratic system of the European states in a highly sensitive way. The young people Juma, Hishame, Ahmed, Nura, Achmad, Asha, Jawid and Alem gradually make the viewers understand why they saw it as a last resort to leave their home and family behind and set off into an uncertain future. In addition, the director gives the film audience a look behind the scenes, namely through the thermal imaging cameras of the border police on unsuspecting refugees, and accompanies the teenagers to their official appointments at the authorities.

Having arrived in Europe, the young people want nothing more than to finally lead a regular life. But the dehumanized bureaucracy stands in the way of immediate integration. Even language courses may only be attended if the young people have a valid asylum decision. And so they are forced to wait and do nothing. Contact with "locals" also becomes almost impossible. An encounter with a drunk man at the train station, who throws all common xenophobic prejudices at the teenagers Nura and Asha , who have just arrived in Traiskirchen , Austria , becomes an impressive key scene - all the more since the girls first have to be told that it is so something like xenophobia even exists. This is one of the reasons why it is all the more amazing and refreshing to see all of these teenagers laughing, having fun, and remaining optimistic according to their age despite the constant uncertainty. Nina Kusturica has succeeded in showing her protagonists on a very personal level - and that is exactly what makes the film meaningful in times when the issue of immigration is mainly dealt with in a populist way by politics.

Reviews

"Kusturica's strength lies in the real moments to which her friendly and sincere relationship with young people leads."

- The press [1]

“A film is touring the country. The successful look into the world of young asylum seekers. The premiere of Nina Kusturica's documentary 'Little Alien' in the Gartenbaukino in Vienna was highly acclaimed on Thursday evening. (...) Kusturica is going on tour with the film and above all wants to reach schoolchildren. From this encounter, especially with a film that masters the language of pop culture, a new understanding of a politically striking topic could emerge. "

- orf.at [2]

“Nina Kusturica dedicated a captivating and simple film to young refugees in Austria. (...) What Nina Kusturica tells in her documentary little alien (sic) would be hard to believe had it not been for refugee organizations and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to report on it repeatedly: Human rights violations are routine on the fringes of Fortress Europe. Kusturica contrasts abstract concepts with human fates - children who cook coffee over a campfire from rubbish with stray cats in demolished houses, forge plans for the crossing to the center of Europe, and promise their father in Afghanistan that everything will be fine on the coin machine. (...) Warmly recommended. "

- The standard [3]

Awards

Outstanding Artist Award , "Intercultural Dialogue" category, Federal Ministry for Education, Art and Culture , 2010
Best Feature Documentary (2nd Prize), Best Editing (1st Prize), Los Angeles International Film Festival, 2010
Best Integral Realization , Bruxelles Fiction & Documentary Festival, 2010
The Chris in the “Social Issues” category, Columbus International Film & Video Festival, 2010