4.1 miles

(photo http://www.bloko.gr)

I (Daphne) got this link for this documentary from somebody who I follow on facebook called Bruno Tersago. He has written a book about the Greek crisis called “regards from Greece” In his stories he has given the Greek crisis a face. Bruno keeps informing us about the human tragedy in the mediterranean that has no end.

The following documentary was made by Daphne Matziaraki. She is a Greek documentary filmmaker who studies at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She has won a Student Academy Award for her film 4.1 Miles.

4.1 Miles tells the story of a day in the life of a Greek coast guard captain called Kyriakos Papadopoulos on the Greek island of Lesvos, in the midst of the migrant crisis in Greece and how it impacts him personally.“As a Greek filmmaker I felt there was something missing from the coverage. I wanted to make a film that would capture the strength and determination of the unknown heroes working tirelessly in an impossible situation,” Daphne adds that she hoped the recognition her film has received will allow a wider audience to get exposure to her film.
“I’m excited by this opportunity because I believe this is one of the most pressing humanitarian crises of our times,” she said.

Matziaraki spent three weeks aboard the coast guard boat and says:”Kyriakos is a man who made me see life differently thanks to his courage, strength, ethos, dedication and kindness”

Watch the documentary, it is so! worth seeing. Very very impressive 21.20 minutes. For me it was a reality check again. We are in Greece where we enjoy the sun, the sea and the people but Greece is also the country where people make heroic efforts to save people, where people fleeing from war still try to cross over thinking they will be safe. Where thousands are in limbo because their status is not determined.

https://static01.nyt.com/video/players/offsite/index.html?videoId=100000004674545