Prisoners of Fate

Mehdi Sahebi, CH 2023, 100 min, Persian/Swiss. OmeU

Having fled to Switzerland from Iran in 1983 at the age of 20, Mehdi Sahebi accompanied people from Iran and Afghanistan seeking refuge in the Alpine republic for over six years from 2016. Mostly filming alone, using the common language as a bridge, the long-term observation provides a deep insight into their difficult everyday lives full of uncertainty. It is an intense and empathetic look that captures the grief and pain of losing one's homeland and being separated from loved ones, but also gives space to hope and humorous moments. In these times of polemical talk about migration figures, Mehdi Sahebi reminds us with great warmth that it is about people and their individual fates. Guest: Mehdi Sahebi,