Moria Six – Films – Visions du Réel

Jennifer Mallmann
Germany | 2024 | 82 min
Swiss Premiere
Languages : English, Farsi, Greek, German
Subtitles : English, French

In September 2020, after a spurious trial, six refugees are convicted of starting the fire which destroyed the Moria camp on Lesbos. The filmmaker begins a correspondence with one of the “Moria Six”, Hassan, as the new camp is being built. Highly secure, it symbolises the dehumanising stance that our so-called civilised Europe adopts towards migration.

The island of Lesbos is a tourist paradise for some, a gateway to Europe for others. In 2020, more than 10,000 refugees were crammed into the Moria camp, living in appalling conditions of overcrowding and unsanitary neglect. The camp was entirely destroyed in an arson attack that, miraculously, claimed no lives. Following a highly questionable trial, six refugees—all minors and residents of the camp—were found guilty by the local court. Filmmaker Jennifer Mallmann begins a correspondence with one of them, Hassan, who is appealing his conviction, as construction begins on a new, ultra-modern and tightly secured “reception centre.” While documenting the efforts of the defence lawyers, she also collects the testimony of an NGO worker who speaks out about the illegal deportations carried out by Greek special units—one of which even appears on screen, in blatant violation of international law and with the silent, uneasy consent of the political establishment. Moria Six offers a moving yet unflinching account of Europe’s current migration policy—one that systematically dehumanises and criminalises the very people it claims to protect.
Emmanuel Chicon

Moria Six, 2024
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Who Owns the City?, 2021
The Battle For our Voices, 2020
Dogs, 2019
Apologize, 2018
9 Months, 2017
A Desert in Epirus, 2017