Shadows of Fate - a refugee childhood

War, Germany 2006

One of the world’s many wars: Darfur, Sudan. Two of Africa’s many refugee children: Jasmin and Fatima. The girls are 11 and 12 years old. They are friends. Having escaped the massacres in their homeland together with the other surviving members of their families, they have reached the safety of Bredjing refugee camp in the south-east of the neighbouring country of Chad. "Thanks be to Allah – we had everything!" says Jasmin’s mother when she speaks of the good times in their native land before the war broke out. We witness with our own eyes what is left for her and the other families. What happened to them in between we learn from the stories they tell. The shadows of the past are their constant companions; the uncertainty of the future hovers over their daily lives as they wait in the camp. The film approaches the two girls tactfully and with sensitivity. It shows their daily lives, which in spite of the poverty and hardship rise above what has happened and what they have experienced with bright moments and dignity, with games and songs and school lessons and the strength of their Muslim faith. And yet the tragedy is ever-present, lurking just beneath the surface.
71 min
SD
Starting at 14
Audio language:
Arabic
Subtitles:
English

More information

Director:

Susan Gluth

Writer:

Susan Gluth

Sound Design:

Marc Parisotto

Producer:

Dethlev Cordts

Original title:

Mit den Augen eines Flüchtlingskindes

Original language:

Arabic

Format:

1:1.78 SD, Color

Age rating:

Starting at 14

Audio language:

Arabic

Subtitles:

English

Further links:

IMDb