REFOCUS ART FEST ATHENS 2023
”ART UNDER PRESSURE”

-ROMANTSO-
Anaxagoras 3, Athina

The ReFOCUS Arts Festival: Art Under Pressure is our FREE annual showcase of work by our international community of creators, musicians, and DJs who all work to unify in the face of forces determined to divide.

Join us at Romantso from 19-21.05 for a world-class DJ party, live performances, film screenings, original photography, graphic design, music videos and reportage.

FILM SCREENINGS
SAT, 20.05
-ROMANTSO-

FILM SCREENING 01:
(16:00-18:00)

”EVEN AFTER DEATH”

EVEN AFTER DEATH, feature documentary

A fateful journey through the marked and unmarked graves around Greece where refugees have been buried since 2015. Told through the story of Fereshta, an Afghan mother who survived a deadly shipwreck, the film portrays the situation thousands face while seeking asylum in Europe, and the struggle Greek coroners, communities and families face when identifying those who have gone missing. This film was written, directed and produced by survivors of these deadly crossings, premiered at Human Rights Film Festival Berlin, and remains on the world festival circuit.

Following the film: live discussion with film’s directors- Reza Adib nd Douglas Herman; founder OF Missing Migrant’s Project- Jan Bikker

FILM SCREENING 02:
(19:00-21:00)

”NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US”

NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US, featurette documentary
Serving as a call to action for mainstream media to develop a new standard of engagement with impacted communities, the film chronicles tumultuous years of struggle on Lesvos for asylum seekers and refugees. The film focuses upon the days that surround the fires that destroyed the infamous Moria refugee camp, and the forced relocation into another “temporary” camp. The film is codirected and produced by ReFOCUS Citizen Journalists who have produced scores of reports in collaboration with international media outlets. It premiered at the Movies That Matter film festival in The Hague, and remains on the world festival circuit.

A discussion with the film’s directors, and fellow journalists follows the film

FILM SCREENING 02:
(19:00-21:00)
FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE-
”THE FIRE OF MORIA”

FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE: THE FIRE OF MORIA, investigative reportage
In the late hours of 8 September 2020, large fires broke out at the migrant camp of Moria, located on the frontier island of Lesvos, Greece. The fires smoldered over several days, displacing thousands of people and reducing the epicenter of the EU’s carceral archipelago to ashes. The overcrowded camp, first established in 2013, was host to more than 13,000 people at the time, and was notorious for its precarious and unsafe living conditions—conditions manufactured and maintained for years by Greek and EU policies. Α large part of the audio-visual material that was analysed in this investigation consisted of footage shot by young asylum seeker students of ReFOCUS Media Labs, an organisation training refugees on Lesvos in filmmaking and journalism.

A discussion with the film’s directors, and Forensic Architecture team follows the film