Top 20 Alternative Picks for Cannes ​2013: ​Kaveh Bakhtiari’s L’escale

L’escale – Kaveh Bakhtiari

Section: Directors’ Fortnight

Buzz: The first feature film from Swiss-Iranian director, Kaveh Bakhtiari, documents the plight of illegal immigrants from Iran living in Greece, where they are in transit until they find their way to other Western countries. Director’s Fortnight has selected yet another hot topic as this issue has become a grave one in many Western countries.

The Gist: Kaveh Bakhtiari, the director, spent long months among a group of Iranian illegal immigrants in Athens to follow their individual fates. Seeking their dream of a better life and freedom, people from all walks of life make the radical decision to leave everything behind and emigrate from Iran. They cross the exceedingly dangerous border into Turkey, risk their lives on board refugee boats heading for Greece, and finally arrive in Athens, where they find shelter with Amir, who runs a “boarding house” for illegal immigrants. Amir’s place has evolved into a sort of headquarters, as it were, where everyone is mapping out plans to continue their journey.