Dir. Thomas Laurance
2022 | 87 mins | France, Luxembourg, UK
French, Arabic, Pashto, Farsi with English subtitles

ON OUR DOORSTEP (dir. Tom Laurance) delves deep into an area of the ongoing refugee crisis that rarely reaches the press. With NGOs being blocked by red tape and an absence of any positive action by French or British authorities, the film is a behind-the-scenes look at the extraordinary grassroots movement that rose to aid the refugees in Calais, and the community that sprang up there, before it was forcefully demolished.

This is the story of what happens when young and inexperienced citizens are forced to devise systems and structures to support 10,000 refugees; and are left unguided to face the moral and emotional dilemmas, blurred lines and frequent grey areas of giving aid to vulnerable people. People who do not want to be there. It questions whether the aims of the volunteers were met, and whether these aims ultimately served the refugees’ needs.

Originally arriving in the Calais ‘Jungle’ as a volunteer, Thomas Laurance ended up embedding himself for a year, documenting what he saw up until the camp’s destruction. Upon returning to the UK, Thomas sourced footage from other filmmakers, activists, volunteers and refugees, weaving together an intimate frontline documentary that offers unique access to the communities of the ‘Jungle’ and is a reminder of the continuing work ordinary civilians do to help those forced to seek safety away from home.

PLAIN ENGLISH COPY
ON OUR DOORSTEP is a documentary. It follows people working in a camp in Calais, France, as they try to help the refugees who are looking for a safe life somewhere new. The documentary films the people volunteering in the camp, refugees and also people who are working to change the way things are done.

Join us after the screening for a Q&A with Director Thomas Laurance.

VENUE: EXETER PHOENIX, STUDIO 74

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