Welcome (2009 film)
Encyclopedia
Welcome is a 2009 French film directed by Philippe Lioret
. It stars Vincent Lindon
and features Firat Ayverdi and Derya Ayverdi in their inaugural roles. The film was released on 11 March 2009 in France. The director wanted to highlight the plight of illegal immigrants living in Calais
, France
, and their plans to reach the United Kingdom
meeting activists and associations trying to help the refugees..
from Calais
in France to the United Kingdom
by any means possible to be reunited with his girlfriend Mina (Derya Ayverdi). Meanwhile, Mina's father strongly opposes Bilal's plans as he wants to marry his daughter to a cousin. After being caught with other illegal immigrants and returned to France, Simon gives him temporary refuge at his home after the young Bilal, nicknamed "Bazda" (runner, for his athletic abilities and love of football and Manchester United in particular) registers for swimming lessons, intending to train to be able to swim across the Channel.
and film director Philippe Lioret debated the issue during the popular French television discussion show "Ce soir ou jamais". Lioret took the opportunity to ask for an amendment to French law depenalising those who help refugees. "If such a thing passes on [amending] this article, it will be a victory", he declared.
The French member of parliament Daniel Goldberg
introduced a proposition to decriminalize aiding illegals.. The proposition was hotly debated. The amendment was discussed but did not become law. Goldberg said he intended to introduce further measures to amend the law. Another proposition was tabled by a group of Communist senators, but never discussed.
from the European Parliament
.
Other awards:
Philippe Lioret
Philippe Lioret is a French film director.- Filmography :*1993: Tombés du ciel*1997: Tenue correcte exigée*2001: Mademoiselle*2004: L'Équipier*2006: Je vais bien, ne t'en fais pas*2009: Welcome...
. It stars Vincent Lindon
Vincent Lindon
Vincent Lindon is a French actor who has been active for more than 25 years.Lindon was a lover of Princess Caroline of Monaco from 1990 to 1995. He is currently separated from his wife, the French actress Sandrine Kiberlain.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
and features Firat Ayverdi and Derya Ayverdi in their inaugural roles. The film was released on 11 March 2009 in France. The director wanted to highlight the plight of illegal immigrants living in Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and their plans to reach the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
meeting activists and associations trying to help the refugees..
Plot
The film tells the story of Simon Calmat (Vincent Lindon), a French swimming coach who is divorcing his wife Marion (Audrey Dana). Simon tries to help a young Iraqi-Kurdish illegal immigrant, Bilal Kayani (Firat Ayverdi), whose dream is to cross the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
from Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
in France to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by any means possible to be reunited with his girlfriend Mina (Derya Ayverdi). Meanwhile, Mina's father strongly opposes Bilal's plans as he wants to marry his daughter to a cousin. After being caught with other illegal immigrants and returned to France, Simon gives him temporary refuge at his home after the young Bilal, nicknamed "Bazda" (runner, for his athletic abilities and love of football and Manchester United in particular) registers for swimming lessons, intending to train to be able to swim across the Channel.
Cast
- Vincent LindonVincent LindonVincent Lindon is a French actor who has been active for more than 25 years.Lindon was a lover of Princess Caroline of Monaco from 1990 to 1995. He is currently separated from his wife, the French actress Sandrine Kiberlain.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
as Simon Calmat - Firat Ayverdi as Bilal Kayani, "Bazda", 17 year old Iraqi-Kurd immigrant
- Audrey DanaAudrey DanaAudrey Dana is a French actress. She studied drama in Orléans and Paris. After two years in New York, she came back to France where she acted in various plays, especially in Nos amis, les humains by Bernard Werber. She was also cast in the movie adaptation Nos amis les Terriens, and Roman de Gare...
as Marion, Simon's wife - Olivier Rabourdin as Police lieutenant
- Derya Ayverdi as Mîna, girlfriend of Bilal
- Yannick RenierYannick RenierYannick Renier is a Belgian actor who started his career in the theatre in the 1990s and has since gone on to appear in several films and television productions.-Biography:...
as Simon's colleague at the swimming pool - Mouafaq Rushdie as Mîna's father
- Behi Djanati Atai as Mîna's mother
- Patrick Ligardes as Hostile neighbor
- Thierry Godard as Bruno, immigration activist and friend of Marion at the volunteers
- Firat Celik as Koban, a furious Turkish immigrant pursuing Bilal for a debt
- Jean-Paul Brissart as Immigration judge
- Éric Hérson-Macarel as Police officer at the detention center
- Emmanuel Courcol as Manager at the supermarket
- Jean-François Fagour as Security personnel at the supermarket
- Jean-Christophe Voiron as Czech truck driver
Reactions
The film became hugely popular with audiences in France alone reaching 780,000 in just 3 weeks on screen. The debate about illegal immigration intensified after French Immigration Minister Éric BessonÉric Besson
Éric Besson is a French politician and Minister of Industry, Energy and the Digital economy under the Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, Christine Lagarde...
and film director Philippe Lioret debated the issue during the popular French television discussion show "Ce soir ou jamais". Lioret took the opportunity to ask for an amendment to French law depenalising those who help refugees. "If such a thing passes on [amending] this article, it will be a victory", he declared.
The French member of parliament Daniel Goldberg
Daniel Goldberg
Daniel Goldberg is a French Socialist politician. A mathematics teacher, he was elected deputy in 2007 to represent La Courneuve.-External links:...
introduced a proposition to decriminalize aiding illegals.. The proposition was hotly debated. The amendment was discussed but did not become law. Goldberg said he intended to introduce further measures to amend the law. Another proposition was tabled by a group of Communist senators, but never discussed.
Awards
On 25 November 2009, the film won the Lux PrizeLux Prize
The European Parliament LUX Prize, introduced in 2007, is a prize given to a competing film by the European Parliament. It is named after the unit of illuminance, "lux", which is Latin for "light"...
from the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Other awards:
- 2009: Won "Label Europa Cinemas" and "Prize of the Ecumenical Jury" at the Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film FestivalThe Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
- 2009: Won "Best Screenplay" and "Special Prize of the Young Jury" at the Gijon International Film FestivalGijón International Film FestivalGijón International Film Festival was created in 1963. It was born as an initiative of the local authority and it was sponsored mainly by Gijón City Council and the then Caja de Ahorros de Asturias ; both institutions are still the main organisers of the festival, along with funding from the...
- 2009: Won Grand Prize for Dramatic Feature at the Heartland Film FestivalHeartland Film FestivalThe Heartland Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. First held in 1992, its goal is to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."In May 2007, Heartland...
- 2009: Won the Audience Award at the Warsaw International Film FestivalWarsaw International Film FestivalWarsaw International Film Festival , also known as the Warsaw FilmFest, is a film festival held every October in Warsaw, Poland. The festival has been held every year since 1985....