PHOTOJOURNALISM AND DOCUMENTARY FILM
REZA ADIB & JAVAD MOUSAVI
“Journalists come to Greece to report on the refugee crisis and they always ask what it is like inside Moria? What is it like to live here? I can say many things, but put simply Moria is Hell! Even one day inside Moria is one day too many.”- Reza Adib
This type of conviction was on immediate display when we met reza and javad on the first day our refocus classes on lesvos, greece. dead serious about reclaiming their former professional lives, they both worked daily to develop new skills to tell the world about the realities they and thousands of other refugees face each day inside european camps.
Reza and Javad are attached at the hip, and have been for nearly two decades. They worked together, lived together and fled together when it became clear it was no longer safe for their families in afghanistan. after months of a journey to turkey where they hoped their status as journalists would be respected, the muslim ban in america destroyed their chances of being resettled. the conditions in the camps in turkey were so severe they once again felt no choice but to risk it all on the sea and cross to lesvos.
”we have been on Lesvos, Greece with our families for the past seven months waiting for our asylum claims to be processed. Back in Afghanistan we were journalists and had to flee because it was no longer safe for us and our families. we were part of a documentary about children being sexually abused by the military. Threats to our lives were made so we had no choice but to flee.” - javad mousavi
Through our program Reza and Javad started documenting the conditions inside Moria and in the wild camps in the olive Groves just outside. At the height of the summer there were over 10,000 refugees here in a space with a capacity of less than 2000.
We caught wind of a unique film festival in France- MObile Film Fest, which challenged filmmakers to create 1-minute films about human rights shot on their mobile phones. Reza and Javad immediately took up the challenge and we helped them produce two shorts for consideration. “Children of Moria” and “Blinded by Hope”each tell an under-reported aspect of life in a refugee camp. “Children of moria”, which was a top 50 Finalist out of 900 submitted films, centers on the dangers thousands of children face each day inside Moria.
“The last thing we thought we would find here in Europe is more of the same. There is no safety inside Moria, and every day we see thousands of children in danger of sexual abuse, violence, social well-being and loss of education. we needed to put our skills into action and tell their story because no one is speaking on behalf of these children, and no one is changing the situation inside Moria. we chose to tell this story from the perspective of a child and show the dangers in the world they must navigate every day. Even when they think they are safe in their tent, they are not. There is no security here. No one, especially a child should live like this. We know first hand why so many children consider suicide.”
- Javad Mousavi
“Blinded by hope”- another film produced specifically for the Mobile FIlm Festival in Paris, France- centers on the lack of services available to refugees with significant physical impairments and disabilities.
”I have lived inside the European Union’s Moria refugee camp for months now. There are thousands of vulnerable people of all ages who do not have access to medical, physical and mental services. I work as a translator for a doctor in an eye clinic, so I interact with nearly all of the people who come from Moria seeking support for their vision. It is estimated by the directors of this eye clinic that nearly 10% of Moria have significant vision impairments and need regular support, but there is just one doctor and this is the only project on the island. I chose to make this film to tell a story that literally no one sees. Living inside Moria is life-threatening for an able-bodied, healthy man. I cannot fathom how I could survive this place if I were to lose my vision.”-Reza Adib
Reza and Javad were lucky enough to get their families out of Moria and into Kara Tepe, a smaller camp for more vulnerable individuals. Speaks volumes of their character that they would voluntarily move back into Moria to document the conditions so the world can see what is truly unfolding.
Their work was recently showcased at the Rethinking Refugees: Knowledge and Action Conference in Crakow, Poland and soon will be up in a new exhibition “Wandering Eyes” showcasing refugee artists in Philadelphia, USA. The following is just a small sample of their powerful series.
