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THE CROSSING

By George KURIAN

Documentary - Completed 2015

The Crossing takes us along on one of the most dangerous journeys of our time with a group of Syrians fleeing war and persecution, crossing a sea, two continents and five countries, searching for a home to rekindle the greatest thing they have lost – Hope.

- Year of production
- 2015
- Genres
- Documentary
- Countries
- NORWAY
- Languages
- ARABIC, ENGLISH
- Duration
- 55 mn
- Director(s)
- George KURIAN
- Cast
- Bente OLAV
- Synopsis
- On a summer night, a group of Syrians wade quietly into the Mediterranean, with little children, a cat and little packets of food wrapped in cling-film held above their heads to climb into little boats that will take them to a fishing boat waiting in deeper waters. The little boat keels over from imbalanced loading. In the panic in the dark waters to save the children, they lose the cat and most of the food and water they have. A mother of 2 young children wants to return ashore, but it is too late, the police may have reached the beach and the only way available is into the sea.
  
  They are journalists, engineers, a musician and a psychologist climbing aboard an old unseaworthy fishing boat, manned by desperate smugglers who have never before sailed beyond coastal fishing waters.
  
  Afaf and her son Mustafa are not so lucky. Caught by the police before the little boat can come back to fetch them, they are thrown into a crowded Alexandrian prison for two weeks and when released, are given one month to leave Egypt. With no option or safe country to be able to travel to, they go straight back to the smugglers and take the next boat that leaves.
  
  Afaf is a pharmacist and was in charge keeping the emergency medical supplies for the whole group, but now, with scant vital supplies, the group spends 8 agonizing days of exposure and sea seasickness, drinking fetid water from the boat’s rusty tank, risking everything, even the right to return, for a shot at asylum in Europe.
  
  The Crossing portrays the life they are leaving behind in Cairo, the details of the boat ride and mid sea rescue by a passing oil tanker and their journey through Europe to the destinations they hope will become their future home.