In a society where the pace of life and personal obligations and worries can become overwhelming, where we are flooded with vast amounts of information and images, it becomes common to feel distant towards the "other's" realities. As a result, we often find ourselves retreating into indifference or feelings of powerlessness.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Yet we should not forget that the power of change also comes from unity, solidarity and collective movements. Sometimes we can move mountains with small gestures, by inching closer to those within reach or acknowledging and understanding those outside our sphere of contact.

A SAFE PLACE conveys those gestures of empathy, going past the news headlines to identify the people behind the stories, observe and understand how their shared struggle is diverse in context but singular in focus: the need for a stable ground.

Zakaria Jaber takes a sweeping overview of the economic and political collapse in Lebanon’s private and public spheres through a camera lens pointed at the hopes and dreams of several generations of friends and family. Despite the existential spiral of uncertainty where options are seemingly reduced to ‘a plane ticket or a coffin,’ the post-civil war generation is determined to overcome adversity and build a stable ‘home.’

The journey to safety takes an urgent imperative in Jonathan Schörnig’s ONE HUNDRED FOUR and Maciek Hamela’s IN THE REARVIEW. Whether it is activists defying cruel European immigration policies by engaging in life-threatening rescue operations of African refugees in the Mediterranean sea, or a volunteer driver escorting evacuees through a war-torn Ukraine, the support offered to individuals seeking refuge from extreme situations can make the difference between life and death. 

Seen through the eyes of their respective teenage protagonists, adaptability and the hopeful outlook for a safe place or better future become thematic threads that bond A GOLDEN LIFE and WHERE I AM NOW. In spite of the backbreaking gold-mining work, teenage Rasmané’s spare moments see him beam with dreams and aspirations - a cheerfulness that is mirrored by F., uprooted from Afghanistan and adjusting to a new society and culture.

The destabilizing impact of forced displacement - on the basis of gender or social prejudice - is seen in ZAGOR’S DEATH and FAIRY GARDEN. Two films whose protagonists have been literally pushed to the periphery as outcasts, ignored by both society and state institutions. As dire as their situation is, the safety net is offered by their own community - gestures all the more inspiring as they come from people with little means.

(Anca Păunescu, Andrei Tănăsescu)