The Invisible City [Kakuma]Lieven Corthouts
Is it possible to build a house in a place called 'nowhere'? Director Lieven Corthouts spent more than 4 years in an African refugee camp by that name and discovered that 'nowhere' is also 'invisible' to the outside world.
Kenya's Kakuma camp (the name translates as 'Nowhere') has been around for 20 years and has grown into a kind of city with over 100,000 inhabitants, including many children without parents. Belgian director Lieven Corthouts, who has previously shot other fascinating documentaries in Ethiopia, lived there for several years, built friendships and shared the daily reality of the residents. When he wasn’t filming, he taught and worked in a store.
His long stay gave him an unprecedented opportunity to portray the lives of four young refugees in the camp. Claude and Nyakong have just arrived in the camp, while Khadijo and Nyamuch have lived there all their lives. Corthouts shows what the children are capable of and exposes the dynamics of the camp. The children seize every opportunity to build a new life and a future in the camp. But is that even possible? Can Kakuma offer them a new future or is it just a waiting room where your best option is a dangerous trip to Europe?
Info
Directed by Lieven Corthouts
Belgium, Kenya
75 min.
Engels, Nuer, Somalian, Swahili
Subtitles: English
Programme
Belgian selection
credits
Director
Lieven Corthouts
Producer
Emmy Oost
Production company
Cassette for Timescapes
Cinematography
Lieven Corthouts
Editing
Jan de Coster
Contact info
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(beschikbaar vanaf 20.03)