Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel has revealed the first titles of its 54th edition, which runs April 21 to 30.
The event will open with the world premiere of “Nightwatchers” by Juliette de Marcillac, which was filmed at night in an idyllic Alpine resort a stone’s throw from the French-Italian border.
As night falls family ski days give way to a game of chase between the police and the volunteers who help migrants. Mostly doctors, they roam the mountain slopes at night, watching for the arrival of migrants who have just completed long, life-risking journeys.
Police surveillance is permanent and denunciation is commonplace, pushing the exiles ever higher up the mountain. “It is a cinematic experience in a breathtaking twilight setting, bringing to light a vital and powerful closely-knit network,” the festival said.
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