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The Wait

Rokhsar Sediqi is 14 years old. She lives with her mom, dad and five siblings in the Danish countryside. She has waited 4 years to get permission to stay in Denmark.

In 2010 Rokhsar and her family fled Afghanistan because they were afraid of the Taliban and after six months of illegal border crossing through Europe they ended up in Denmark where they sought asylum. Nevertheless, the Danish immigration authorities doubt their story and the fact that they will be persecuted if they return to Afghanistan which means that they have been denied asylum several times. Now they are staying in Denmark illegally and can be deported any time.

Most of the other family members are very traumatized by the circumstances around the escape and since Rokhsar is the only one who speaks Danish fluently, she has undertaken the burden of fighting the authorities in order to change their decision. 

In spite of her young age Rokhsar is dealing with the immigration authorities, lawyers and different NGOs and everytime they get mail from the authorities about their case, Rokhsar has to tranlate and explain the content to the rest of the family. Sometimes she even withholds information from her parents because she is afraid that it will have a negative impact on their fragile mental state. This immense burden means that she has been rapidly forced into adulthood - the pressure affects her enormously and it is very difficult for her to manage school, friends and hobbies at the same time.

As Rokhsar turns 16 the family is up for the final option to get asylum, this time the case is build on Rokhsar's strong integration. But carrying her family's desteny on her tiny shoulders comes with a price.

DVD

For private use: DKK 149.00
For educational purposes: DKK 625.00
Facts
Original titel: 
The Wait
Year of production: 
2016
Length: 
58
Cast: 
Rokhsar Sediqi
Director: 
Emil Langballe
Co-director: 
Andrea Storm Henrksen
Producer: 
Helle Faber
Cinematographer: 
Emil Langballe, Andrea Storm Henriksen
Editor: 
Michael Aaglund, Peter Winther
Sound: 
Rasmus Winther Jensen
Music: 
Uno Helmersson
Graphics: 
Rasmus Lange
In co-production with: 
TV2 og The Danish Filminstitute
Festivals
IDFA / The Nederlands
Human Rights - Human Wrongs / Norway
One World Human Rights Film Festival / Czech Republic
Human Rights Watch Film Festival / Great Britain
BUFF / Sweden
Amnesty Int. Movies that Matter Festival / The Netherlands
San Sebastian Human Rights Film Festival
Volda, The Norwegian Documentary Film Festival / Norway
Diaspora Film Festival / Korea
Seoul Human Rights Film Festival / South Korea
Festival Europe-Orient du Film documentaire à Tanger / North Marocco
Filmfest Hamburg / Germany
doxs! dokumentarfilme für kinder und jugendliche / Gernany
Crossroads, Festival for Documentary Film and Discourse / Austria
Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas / France
Against Gravity / Poland
Verzio International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival / Hungary
WATCH DOCS. Human Rights in Film IFF/ Poland
This Human World International Human Rights Film Festival/ Austria
Awards
Grand Prize - Festival Europe-Orient du Film documentaire à Tanger
The Political Film Of The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung at FilmFest Hamburg
Special Mention - 14th Verzio IHRDFF
One World Filmclubs Award 2017
Youth Award - Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas 2018
Contact
Festival distribution: 
kurstein@dfi.dk
International sales: 
kimc@dr.dk
All other queries: 
hello@madeincopenhagen.dk