Synopsis

No man’s land just before the Hungarian-Serbian border: A man sits at a campfire. He is one of many refugees, who – in the hopes of a better life – took on the journey by foot from Syria via Turkey, Greece and Macedonia to Serbia. He left his home to find a new one in Europe. With his documentary, old-established director Želimir Žilnik brings not only this man’s story but many similar fates of refugees in a neutral and sober way to the screen. Irrespective of whether they come from Syria, Afghanistan or Eritrea, each and every person has undergone a difficult and dangerous journey, or maybe even has a long road still ahead. They neither speak the languages of the countries they have to cross on their way into the unknown, nor do they know the names of the smugglers they have to rely on. It’s nothing but natural those people have all kinds of stories to tell. In Destination Serbistan, refugees themselves reconstruct scenes from their lives and odysseys, allowing a deeper insight into the inner worlds of those people scarred by life. Thus, the film artistically and extraordinarily focuses on one of the top burning and controversial topics of our time. Between the extremes of the “fortress Europe” and a Europe of human rights, Žilnik manages to give a human face to the high number of refugees, often perceived as rather abstract in the media.

Guests

Zelimir Zilnik

Želimir Žilnik
Director, writer Logbook Serbistan
In Vienna: October 1-4

Sarita Matijevic

Sarita Matijević
Producer Logbook Serbistan
In Vienna: October 1-4