By Colette Holcomb
November
In the idyllic bubble of Menton, it is easy to forget the humanitarian crises occurring less than 20 kilometers away in the Italian city of Ventimiglia. Yet, every year, over 30,000 migrants pass through the border town, risking their lives in hopes of a better future. The 2020 closing of the Italian Red Cross Camp and an intensified French police presence has exacerbated the already dangerous humanitarian conditions for migrants at the Franco-Italian frontier.
After seeing the implications firsthand through volunteer work at the border, second-year Sciences Po student Fraser Byers wanted to bring awareness to the migrant crisis by producing a documentary film detailing personal accounts of the journey to Europe and what daily life looks like for migrants. This past summer, he worked with friends Nico Romero and Zara Gounden to create the Twenty Miles More project with the support of a Davis Project for Peace grant of $10,000. Romero, an aspiring filmmaker, is the director, cinematographer and editor. Gounden, a New York University student at NYU London, is the co-producer, production accountant and secondary content writer.
Twenty Miles More aims to share the story of Ventimiglia as a representation of the complexity that emerges when those in search of safety and security meet barriers to a better life.
“I believe that storytelling through this medium [documentaries] is the best way to share with audiences unadulterated accounts of the human tragedy occurring in this region. Documentaries are a form of reporting that invites a visual element. [They] bring validity and often establish a greater emotional connection. I believe that these characteristics are inherent to responsible documentary storytelling [and] are crucial to shifting public opinion…” says Fraser Byers, the executive producer and water survey lead of Twenty Miles More.
Beyond the documentary, the project includes research on the water quality of the Roya River — particularly seeking to answer whether the river is a safe water source for migrants. Without the Red Cross Camp, the Roya river has become the primary site where migrants bathe, use the bathroom and access drinking water. Aside from organic human waste, the river is polluted with garbage and spilled oil, and there is concern that the water contains hazardous heavy metals from the upriver industry.
“The Roya flows through both French and Italian territories where there is significant industrial and agricultural development — making the unknown chemical and organic qualities of the water a concern considering the high chance of dangerous contaminants,” explained Byers.
Through this research, the project will help non-profits and other organizations working in the area to provide safer drinking and bathing alternatives.
Over the summer, the crew was able to conduct primary filming and water assessment and have now moved into post-production. Filming began just four months after the beginning of the Ukrainian-Russian war. The timing allowed for a unique framing of the treatment of primarily African and Asian migrants entering Ventimiglia in the context of the treatment of Ukrainian refugees in other areas of France and Italy. Of particular concern is police treatment; throughout the documentary, law enforcement is shown discriminating against migrants and even illegally refusing underage asylum seekers.
Given the sensitive nature of much of the documentary’s content and the depth of personal stories shared in the film, the project team wanted to ensure that they were taking an ethical approach to research and production. To do so, they worked with various organizations operating in Ventimiglia and generally in migrant advocacy and aid, such as Caritas, 20K, Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders).
These partnerships are also set to collaborate on distribution; the team plans to share the unedited interviews with organizations. They are also applying to various film festivals to showcase the documentary.
If you are interested in supporting the Twenty Miles More project, contact Fraser Byers at fraserbyers@gmail.com or check out their website, 20milesmore.org.