Human Flow premiere: A chat with Ai Weiwei, Lord Alfred Dubs, Josephine Naughton and Maya Ghazal

Human Flow is Ai Weiwei’s new documentary about the contemporary migration crisis, which has seen the greatest displacement of people since World War II. By getting close and actually engaging with the people on the borders, by using different methods of shooting – from drones footage to iPhone recordings – and with poetic quotes appearing on the screen, the movie presents the touching and utterly human stories behind statistics and headlines. From the Calais Jungle to the vast natural landscape of Mexico and the war-torn Syria, between traumatic accounts and emotional details told by the migrants themselves, Weiwei focuses on the real people, with struggles and dreams just like anyone else. The film offers an impressive and empathic portray of the protagonists of one of the most debated topics of our time.

Human Flow had its UK premiere tonight at the Milton Court Concert Hall, followed by a discussion between Ai Weiwei and few advocates for refugees. We had the pleasure to hear from the artist and some of the panellists of the night.

Ai Weiwei explained to us where the inspiration for Human Flow came from and how he personally relates to the stories of migrants.

Josephine Naughton, co-founder and CEO of Help Refugees, spoke about the relevance of Weiwei’s documentary and the projects her organisation is currently working on.

Lord Alfred Dubs highlighted the importance of this film and similar works to keep the debate on and how they can all help reshape the negative public opinion on this crisis.

Maya Ghazal, a young Syrian refugee, shared with us her empathetic reaction to the movie and what it meant for her to receive the Diana Legacy award.

Cristiana Ferrauti
Videos: Marta Starczynowska
Photos: Filippo L’Astorina

Human Flow is released in select cinemas on 8^th December 2017. Read our review here. For further information visit the website here.