Dir. Tamara Kotevska
2023 | 80 mins | UK, US, Macedonia

THE WALK, by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Tamara Kotevska (Honeyland), is based on an extraordinary artistic endeavour in 2021 which saw a 12 foot tall puppet called Amal travel for three months across Europe, raising awareness of the plight of unaccompanied young refugees.

The film follows the journey of Amal, from the Syrian border, all the way across Europe, as she searches for safety and a place where she feels welcome. In the film she is a real girl with a real voice (an inner monologue narrated by a Syrian refugee), which expresses the hopes and fears that a young girl would feel on this journey. Just like any human, she struggles with a diversity of emotions. She has her thoughts, memories, dreams and fears that we witness along her journey. She meets lots of other refugees like her, all on their own journeys, and she also meets plenty of people who don’t want her in their country.

THE WALK is not a typical documentary. It mixes vérité documentary with fantastical semi-scripted elements to create a fairytale for adults.

Hosted by Refugee Support Devon.

Refugee Support Devon will welcome guests at 5.30pm in the Secret Gardens, with some forewords from the chair of trustees Helen Hartstein and other members of the organisations, followed by some refreshments.

This will be followed at 6.30 pm by the screening in Studio 74 of the short Goldmine (Adrian Fisk) followed by The Walk (Tamara Kotevska).

After the film, members of the Exeter Routes Research Network from the University of Exeter will join Refugee Support Devon and the director of the short film Goldmine, Adrian Fisk, to speak at a panel discussion and reflect on the issues raised by the films and how communities can support refugees. Members of the public are welcome to join the Q&A.

Discover other Refugee Week events from Refugee Support Devon here.