This remarkably timely, eye-opening film charts the death-defying struggle of African migrants as they risk everything to start a new life in Europe. Ayiva (first time actor Koudous Seihon in a revelatory performance) and Abas (Alassane Sy) are close friends from Burkina Faso determined to make it to Italy in order to find work and provide for their families back home. But even after surviving the harrowing journey - desert bandits, a treacherous sea voyage, arrest - nothing can prepare the two men for the hostility and violence that awaits them. A gripping tale of survival told with vivid realism, Mediterranea immerses viewers in the heart of a humanitarian crisis that for far too many is a lived reality.
"This is a story packed with the sort of heartbreak and worry that would be hard to sit through were it not for American director Jonas Carpignano's touching, tender narrative skill." - Star Tribune
"This rich, observational, ripped-from-the-headlines story...demands a wide audience." - The Guardian
"No other movie at this year's Cannes Film Festival hits such a profoundly topical note... It renders a global crisis in strikingly intimate terms." - IndieWire
"The unselfconscious naturalness of the nonprofessional cast yields no shortage of sharply observed moments." - The Hollywood Reporter
FILMMAKER BIOGRAPHY
Jonas Carpignano (Writer/Director) spent his childhood between Rome and New York City and attended Wesleyan University. His work has been shown in prestigious film festivals including Cannes, Venice, and the New York Film Festival. His two short films A Chjàna (2011) and A Ciambra (2014) have been honored with the Controcampo Award at the 68th Venice Film Festival, The Discovery Prize at the 53rd Semaine De La Critique at Cannes, a Nastro D'Argento special mention and the Grand Jury Prize at the Miami International Film Festival. Jonas is an alumnus of the 2012 Sundance Screenwriters & Directors Lab, and the winner of the Sundance/Mahindra Global filmmaking award. In 2012 Jonas was named one of the top 25 New Faces in independent film by Filmmaker Magazine.
Community Partners
NEW RELEASES
Extraordinary foreign films, must-see American indies, and groundbreaking documentaries from around the world, screening weekly at the Film Society.