On Our Doorstep
©Thomas Laurance
Synopsis
When the Calais Jungle was ignored and condemned by authorities, ordinary people stepped in to support the refugees. This is the untold story of the volunteers and those they tried to help.
ON OUR DOORSTEP delves deep into an aspect of the refugee crisis that rarely reached the press. With NGOs being blocked by red tape and the absence of any positive action by French or British authorities, the film is a behind-the-scenes look at the unprecedented grassroots movement that rose to aid the refugees in Calais, and the community that sprang up there, before it was forcefully demolished.
This is the story of what happens when young and inexperienced citizens are forced to devise systems and structures to support 10,000 refugees; and are left unguided to face the moral and emotional conflicts, blurred lines and frequent grey areas of giving aid to vulnerable people. People who do not want to be there.
Originally arriving at the Calais Jungle as a volunteer, Thomas Laurance ended up documenting what he saw over the year he spent there, until the camp’s destruction in October 2016. This film is the result of the remarkable and intimate access he gained to both volunteers and refugees.
Details
- Year
- 2020
- Type of film
- Features
- Running Time
- 92 min
- Format
- Digital
- Director
- Thomas Laurance 1st Feature
- Producer
- Verity Wislocki, Cassandra Sigsgaard, Jodie Taylor, Safwon Suleyman
- Executive Producer
- Jerry Rothwell, Christopher Hird, Marilyn Thompson, Claire Ferguson
- Editor
- Josh Levinsky, Miikka Leskinen
- Music
- Dominic De Grande
Genre
Production status
Post-production
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Last updated 10th November 2019
