On the border

A film by Igor Hauzenberger & Gabriela Schild. Starts March 19th at the fsk. 

[Credits] [Tickets & Termine] [Trailer]

The desert city of Agadez in Niger has been a hub of trade rou­tes sin­ce time imme­mo­ri­al. The local Tuareg popu­la­ti­on always ear­ned a good living by trans­port­ing goods and peo­p­le across the Sahara. But Agadez is also a place whe­re migrants pass through on their way to Europe.

Niger has been in direct talks with the European Union about this sin­ce 2012. The result is a law that cri­mi­na­li­zes ille­gal migra­ti­on and has made Agadez a High Risk Area, with cata­stro­phic con­se­quen­ces for the local eco­no­my. The ban on trans­port led to unem­ploy­ment, hig­her crime and a drug epidemic.

In On the Border, three resi­dents of Agadez talk about the decli­ne of their city. Salesman Ahmed Dizzi looks back with nost­al­gia to a time when lar­ge num­bers of European tou­rists used to visit the his­to­ric city and spend a lot of money. Radio repor­ter Tilla Amadou ques­ti­ons the effec­ti­ve­ness of European trai­ning pro­grams for bor­der guards. And for­mer mayor Rhissa Feltou argues that the new bor­der con­trols are a thre­at to the tra­di­tio­nal noma­dic exis­tence of the Tuareg.

Credits:

AT/DE/CH 2024, 103 Min., Tamascheq, Hausa, Fulah, Französisch, Deutsch. OmU
Regie: Gerald Igor Hauzenberger & Gabriela Schild
Kamera: Thomas Eirich-Schneider, Gerald Igor Hauzenberger, Hajo Schomerus, Joerg Burger
Schnitt:
Nela Märki, Stefan Fauland

Trailer:
ON THE BORDER // Trailer // Kinostart mit Kinotour am 19.03.26
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