The world is my home | The International Exile Film Festival
"The filmmaker in exile is an uprooted in need of air, feeling from any form of suppression. He is on steady search, not only for new geographical borders but also new thinking borders. The view of an exiled filmmaker is comparable to that moving camera, seeing every thing anew, with the glance of a searcher who never settles down until he finds what he is after and he is always ready to pass the defined borders."
The International Exile Film Festival is a forum for filmmakers in exile. This festival focuses on freedom of speech and democracy and acknowledges the rights of filmmakers to express themselves in an atmosphere free from any political, social, religious ethnical and ideological limitations.
The International Exile Film Festival is an international acknowledgement of the rights of artists to express themselves freely and it also embraces different nationalities, ethnic groups and religions.
A very important aim of the festival is to enable exile filmmakers to show their films to an international audience so that they also receive more international attention and can consequently distribute their works on a wider scale.
An additional aim of the festival is to establish contacts between filmmakers all over the world and at the same time to exchange important information about films, which are made in exile.
The International Exile Film Festival shows films, which are made by exile directors who have to live outside their native countries. The Exile Film Festival’s main program focuses on exile as a global question for modern man and this, in turn, results in an increased understanding for the lives of refugees and immigrants.
The Exile Film Festival is a non-profit and politically and religiously independent cultural association, which was established in 1993.
The festival is arranged in Gothenburg every other year with the support of Swedish public and state organisations and non-profit associations. Feature length and short films and videos are accepted. The films to be shown at the festival are chosen by a program committee.
Application forms for the festival can be obtained by contacting the festival’s main office or other festival representatives.
Background
According to the United Nations latest report there are approximately 23 million people having
to live as refugees, as a result of their political beliefs or ethnic and religious affiliations. Such
an extensive stream of refugees has never been experienced, during the entire history of human
civilization.
Among these refugees are filmmakers who try to portray the lives of people on the run or those
living in exile. Many of them have produced artistic, cultural films on this global issue. However,
it is very difficult for these films to be seen by a wider audience, since most of these films are
non-commercial.
It is, therefore, very difficult for these films to influence public opinion.
The idea of an exile film festival started to take form in 1992, when a committee was organised.
This committee consisted of exile film makers and other cultural workers interested in this subject,
the first exile film festival took place in Gothenburg from 7th-14th Oct. 1993. This festival focused
on iranian refugees and was called ”Iranian Film In Exile”.
The festival was warmly appreciated by the numerous nationalities who were present - (both the
exile filmmakers and the public) everyone agreed that the festival should take place again, to also
include exile filmmakers from other countries. Despite the fact that exile filmmakers from a particular
country focus on situations characteristic for the refugees of that country, they can be experienced
as a universal problem for the majority of those in exile the 2nd international exile film festival was
arranged in 1995 with the title ”The world is my home”. From a cultural point of view the exile film
festival can be regarded as an historical turning point, for not only immigrants but also for swedish
people. As a result of hosting the exile film festival, Sweden is now considered not only a free zone
for exile filmmakers, but also a country which attaches great importance to multicultural work.
History
The International Exile Film Festival with the slogan 'The world is My Home', is an event taking
place every other year in Gothenburg, Sweden. The festival is a forum for filmmakers in exile,
regardless of their national, ethnic, religious or political backgrounds. This festival focuses on
'exile' as a global question and its main intent is to promote democracy, freedom of speech and
the development of an open and multicultural society. In the main program 'Exile-an International
Experience' presents works made by filmmakers in exile where in the special program works made
by non-exiled filmmakers as another view are shown. The special programs part also will contain
other side events like seminars, lectures, exhibition, etc. The film themes are mainly about exile,
immigration and democracy.
The International Exile Film Festival is a non-profitable cultural association established in 1993.
A committee selects the films for the programs. All kinds of films and videos (short and long) are
accepted.
‘Refugees’ is today a global question. Such a stream of refugees has never been seen in human’s
history. According to the UN’s latest report, there are about 23 million people on escape due to
their political viewpoints, religious believes or other economical reasons. Filmmakers who,
themselves, have been in the stream, describe this doom, the life during the escape and in exile.
They have succeeded to create culturally and artistic films, through which we can understand the
situation of the refugees. But because of the complications of distribution of individual and non-
profit making films, they do not reach the public and in turn, can not affect public opinions.
Through The International Exile Film Festival we strive to create a forum for filmmakers in exile to
initiate their films in an international level.
The International Exile Film Festival started 1992 with the formation of a committee consisting of
some exiled filmmakers and other enthusiasts to initiate the first one. The first festival directed its
activities towards Iranian films in exile from all over the world in Gothenburg 7-14 October 1993.
In this way The International Exile Film Festival developed and spread to the filmmakers all over
the world. The Second International Exile Film Festival was arranged 1995 with the title:
‘The world is my home’.
From a cultural viewpoint, The Second International Exile Film Festival was a turning point for
both Sweden and the immigrants living there. Now Sweden with these festivals is regarded as
a free zone for filmmakers and as a country where people appreciate multicultural projects.
The International Exile Film Festival | www.exilefimfestival.com | info@exilefilmfestival.com