SGS Summer Film Festival: Welcome
Free and open to the public
Kurdish teen Bilal has traveled all the way to the north of France in the hope of reuniting with his girlfriend who recently emigrated to England. He is caught in Calais and detained in a refugee camp. Desperate to see his girlfriend, he decides to swim across the English Channel, enlisting a middle-aged swimming coach to train him for his journey. Despite their differing ages and backgrounds, the two men develop a strong bond. Directed by Philippe Lioret (France, 2009).
Q&A to follow with Nilgun Bayraktar, Assistant Professor of Film History, Theory & Criticism in the Visual Studies Program, California College of the Arts.
These films are part of the annual SGS Summer Film Festival running most Wednesdays from June 28 to September 13. This year's festival features nine films from around that world that focus on the theme of “Finding Place: Immigration, Refugees, & Borders Across the World.” For more information on the film festival, please visit SGS Summer 2017 Film Festival.