An island of complex history and geopolitics, Cyprus is a refuge for many asylum seekers looking to reach Europe. As the death toll in the Mediterranean rises at an alarming rate, survivors who make it to the island feel their hope fade in the face of the indefinite wait for status and social tension fuelled by anti-migrant rhetoric. The filmmaker, who introduces herself in voice-over as an immigrant from a country that no longer exists—Yugoslavia—observes and comments on the assertion of a ruthless nationalist rhetoric, and the insidious slide leading into the rise of neo-fascism. This documentary essay adopts several different points of view and explores with intelligence and artistry the delicate issues of identity, exile, reception, inequality, and racism. (HSB)

This film is presented as part of the Retrospective Iva Radivojevic: Imaginary Landscapes of Dislocation.

Presented with the support of Critical Media Lab McGill and McGill Refugee Research Group

Evaporating Borders