See the Refugee Highway as Experienced by MIDNIGHT TRAVELER Afghan filmmakers
Our network of Christians who care about, and for, refugees is called the Refugee Highway Partnership. The refugee highway is the path taken by refugees as they leave their homeland and travel to a place of safety.
It is our desire to see the followers of Jesus involved in making that journey smoother every step of the way and I couldn’t help but wonder if, where and how the body of Christ was involved in caring for Afghan director Hassan Fazili and his endearing family (his wife Fatima and two young daughters Nargis and Zahra) as they escaped the Taliban and headed for safety in Europe.
Shot on three cell phones over a period of three years, the story edited together by Emelie Mahdavian and produced by Su Kim is just beginning to catch viewership after a very limited U.S. theatrical release in September 2019. Film festival awards are coming in from the Berlin International Film Festival, Biografilm Festival, Sundance and many more.
During the course of the Fazili family’s journey to an unknown, yet hoped-for safety, we start our journey with them in Tajikistan where they are saying their goodbyes to the host family who has been caring for them during a 14-month-long unsuccessful asylum seeking process. They must return to Afghanistan where they attempt to research and figure out where to go. Believing Europe is their best option, they embark on a 3500 mile journey through Iran, Turkey and Bulgaria.
They face merciless human smugglers in Bulgaria who demand more money, even though they have none, threatening the abduction of their young daughters if they don’t pay up. They face weeks of survival in forests and along the roads as they move on foot from place to place. They experience long months with nothing to do in refugee camps or holding facilities. They and their weary companions face beatings and spewing hatred from nationalists who oppose refugee arrivals, considering them dirty and terrorist.
Even the film’s conclusion after three years on the road seeking safety is no conclusion really. This is reality, and an intensely powerful true-life tale told by refugees themselves. I’ve seen a number of refugee-related documentaries and this one is unique in its point of view because of who shot it and how it is told.
Catch is on PBS in the U.S. on December 30th.
Other places to view this film can be found on Amazon, AppleTV (iTunes), FandangoNow, Google Play, VHX, Vimeo On Demand, Vudu, X-box and cable on-demand services through DirectTV, Comcast, Cox and Charter Communications. The list (with links) is on the film's website: https://midnighttraveler.oscilloscope.net/.