The narrative is simply the capturing of a moment in the lives of two immigrants who happen to be brothers. The vulnerability and plight of undocumented people is delineated most delicately in this film which does not use the inherent sentimentalism of such a situation as a crutch. Instead, it manages to portray a point of crisis in the lives of the siblings which happens to be a product of their national and cultural identity. The story opens at a point when the Turkish brothers have been recently reunited. Consequently, the younger brother Samet has more than a few lessons to be learnt about life in the big city. Elder brother Abi is protective of him, yet is wary of making him too soft that might leave him unprepared for the vagaries of the mini-universe that thrives in New York. The film does the most poignant, subtle and nuanced job of weaving together the anxiety, insecurity and uncertainty of fate for a pair like theirs, along with the very brazen realities of the world that includes racism, hate crimes and a strong, inherent sense of self-preservation which both lurches the brothers forward in their lives, as well as lands them in a deeply undesirable situation. Green manages to achieve all of this and more, without explicitly spelling out any of it. It puts together a narrative about a person's engagement with a foreign environment, and interacts with situations where revealing your identity, even if to seek the absolute urgent help, is a fate worse than extreme corporeal harm. It further becomes a strong comment 
about the lives of undocumented immigrants not simply in New York, but also in other parts of the world, where the risk of deportation is a dominating, looming presence that threatens to consume all sense of security, safety and the accessibility to the most basic human existence.

Green | Short Film of the Day

Taking the viewer into the life of Mamadou K, the documentary maps his experiences and daily lived reality as an illegal immigrant in France. Having escaped a fate of violence following the murder of his father and brother, he seeks refuge and safety in the European country. The film is an insightful engagement with what it truly means to flee your homeland after finding yourself in mortal peril, and try to carve yourself a reality in a new, potentially unwelcoming land, where your mere existence is outside the ambit of legality. The subject in itself is a complex one, requiring an intelligent handling of its several nuances, to allow the narrative to be a well-balanced product. The film is a sincere, dedicated attempt to achieve the same, and succeeds in presenting to the viewer the story of Mamadou which is plagued by the memory of a family left behind, a sense of longing and separation, and a suggestion of the cost he may have had truly had to pay to save his life. In an exile where streets are lined with fake souvenirs of capitalism, where it takes the loss of friends and loved ones, along with an absolutely uncertain fate, to carry on living an unperturbed existence, even if fleetingly, the documentary conjures the fragility of an experience that is marked by an elemental disconcertment and the futility of human effort.

Djao - After The Road | Short Film Nominee

The film is a quiet conversation with memory, past, culture and a life left behind, that employs food and a traditional cuisine as a bridge to achieve the same. The documentary introduces the viewer to the lived reality of Kyo Pang, the owner of a kopitiam or a traditional Indonesian coffee shop in New York, and how her relationship with food has come to shape and influence her lived reality. Using Pang's narrative, the film also manages to raise significant points about immigration, a person's relationship, and perhaps even a longing, for their roots, and the desire to not only preserve, but also share them with those around. By way of its calm engagement, which deliberately steers clear of loud noises or gimmicky tools, the film further invokes the Baba-Nyonya culture of Pang's childhood, allowing a glimpse into it, while also straddling the culinary history of her past. As ideas of family and tradition are tied together to weave the narrative, Kopitiam comes across as a sincere endeavour to tell an authentic story about a highly personal and intimate experience. It is precisely these very qualities which endow it with a universal tone.

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