艾未未のインスタグラム(aiww) - 12月27日 01時00分

“The Rest” (2019) is a documentary by Ai Weiwei about refugees who have arrived in Europe, the world’s bastion of human rights, but now live in limbo within a disintegrating humanitarian aid system. In recent years, these refugees fled war and persecution in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other conflict-ridden countries in Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East. They sought refuge in Europe, but most have not found the safe havens of their dreams. Now they are “The Rest,” no longer the center of media attention, yet unable to move forward with their lives.

At the end of 2015 Ai Weiwei decided to make “Human Flow” (2017), his internationally acclaimed film about the global refugee crisis. After “Human Flow’s” release, the crisis only worsened: in 2016 there were 65 million people displaced worldwide; in 2018 there are 68.5 million. Those awaiting sanctuary in Europe found their lives put on hold, victims of overburdened aid systems, media fatigue and intensifying nationalism. For these reasons, Ai Weiwei decided to edit a new film from “Human Flow’s” 900 hours of unused footage to call attention to the yet-unresolved plight of refugees on European soil.

In contrast to “Human Flow’s” monumental scope, “The Rest” is a personal, intimate film focused on the personalities and everyday lives of refugees in Europe. Most of the film is told through interviews with refugees and footage of their living situations. They speak of the hardship and danger they faced fleeing war, poverty, and persecution, and of the treacherous routes they undertook to find safety in Europe. However, their futures in Europe are not rosy but bleak, stalled by overburdened humanitarian aid infrastructures as well as escalating anti-immigrant sentiments.

“The Rest” is not only an accumulation of refugees’ stories but also a mirror of the European political zeitgeist. These refugees’ experiences demonstrate how pan-European values of liberalism and democracy have largely failed in practice.

"The Rest" is now available worldwide on Vimeo On Demand at vimeo.com/ondemand/therest

#aiweiwei #therest #refugees #humanflow

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