Stark realism in this intense drama of the perilous journey of 2 men emigrating from their home in Burkina Faso to Libya, and ending up in Italy, as they seek better opportunities. The men ably portrayed by Kondous Seihon,as Ayiya, and Alassane Sy, as Abas, will have to survive an initial hazardous trek across the desert, that will also include facing murderous bandits, difficult weather, and a dangerous sea crossing, before being picked up by the Italian Navy. Given 3 month temporary papers to stay in Italy, Ayiya and Abas must now face squalid living conditions, low-paying seasonal jobs, and a mostly hostile public and police force. However, they'll also encounter a tight knit African immigrant community who try and help each other, and a number of local Italians who will also try to help them. Considering the news of today, this film is certainly timely in its nature.All in all, regardless of what side of the immigrant issue one is on, you may find this movie, impressively written and directed by first time filmmaker Jonas Carpignano, offers the viewer a vivid and realistic view of it all.

Mediterranea is the first feature film of Jonas Carpignano who based his tale of African migrants emigrating to Italy on his own earlier short film created in 2012. Carpignano traveled to Italy after a race riot in the town of Rosarno in 2010 and decided to investigate the unfortunate plight of African migrants in European cities, specifically in Italy, where the problem is particularly vexing.Carpignano was fortunate to find first-time actor, Koudous Seihon, who plays Ayiva from the African country of Burkina Faso. He, along with his buddy, Abas, make the perilous journey through Algeria on to Libya and then take a harrowing boat ride, where both the intrepid and foolhardy emigrants are picked up by the Italian coast guard after their flimsy boat capsizes in a storm. Carpignano highlights the horrors of the journey including scores of migrants packed into old trucks like sardines, trekking through the desert on foot and then being robbed of all their money by bandits and finally being forced to pilot a rickety motor boat without the aid of a competent navigator.Once they arrive, Ayiva is met by an uncle who only can provide shelter for a very short time. They are guided to a shantytown by a buddy from the old country and are given a 3 month temporary residence permit by the Italian government. If they are unable to find regular "contract" work, they will be forced to return home. Carpignano documents Ayiva's sad travails in a cinema-verité documentary style. A good deal of the plot is episodic: in an early scene, Ayiva steals a suitcase on a train in order to obtain sweaters for himself and Abas. He also negotiates the sale of an MP3 player with a young 10 year old Italian hustler. that he also pilfered while on the train, Eventually Ayiva finds work at an orange grove—the owner, Rocco, takes a liking to him and gives him extra work. The family invites some of the workers into their home and provide them with a home-cooked meal. While Ayiva is not averse to assimilating, Abas resents the minimal wages he receives and is content to put in the least effort he can.Carpignano manages to humanize the plight of African migrant workers by focusing on both their private lives and the social milieu they exist in. Ayiva's SKYPE conversations with his wife and young daughter back in Africa reveal that he is at heart a family man. But being separated over such a long distance leads to an unhealthy interest in his boss' precocious young daughter who at one point Ayiva expresses a desire to have sex with. Free time is sometimes spent socializing with some African women who live double lives as prostitutes. Carpignano also highlights the backlash from local residents, particularly young Italian toughs, who are constantly seeking to provoke the Africans into a fight. One scene features a car full of rowdies almost side-swiping Ayiva and his friends as they walk innocently on a road on the outskirts of the city. The tension between the locals and the migrants reach their apex when word is received that two blacks have been murdered. Carpignano doesn't show us the circumstances of the murders and the news is thrown at us rather abruptly. Almost immediately, the migrants begin to riot, with the crowd chanting, "don't shoot at blacks." During the mayhem, Abas is beaten by a mob and seriously injured. Ayiva is also swept up in the mob violence and ends up also as a participant where cars are firebombed, property destroyed and individuals beaten.There are certainly no happy endings for Akiva. It looks like he's going to return home after Rocco fails to help him obtain the necessary contract work which would lead to a permanent work permit. While the plot is not necessarily thoroughly developed, Carpigano's observations about the lives of African migrants in Europe are presented in sharp and prescient relief. There are assuredly more good things to come from Mr. Carpignano, whose auspicious debut should be thoroughly applauded.

I knew nothing about this film when I sat down to it as part of a project to choose films for distribution in the Czech Republic. I took to it fast. The hand-held camera takes some getting used to, and there were times when the action was unclear due to a lack of light. The style was appropriate for the most part, however, suiting the subject and setting. The main characters are sympathetic and their stories comprehensible from the start. The brothers Ayiva and Abas we travel with from a few minutes into the film, are believably differentiated throughout. I personally understood Ayiva, whose POV the film takes, and who seemed to take a rope-a-dope stance to anything the world could throw at him, but could understand why his brother might look down on him for it.The film is gentle. Never preachy. The acting is natural. I have come across references to the main characters having been played by non-actors, with Ayiva played by a refugee whose story resembles his character's. True or not, it feels real enough. For most of the film, the story of the refugees life here stands in relation to many other similarly-themed films as Jarhead stands to other war films: though there is action, it's low key, with much of it relating to work, to getting hands on a bargain, Skypeing home, the rituals of food. In the last third of the film, this changes somewhat, but if the pace steps up, it is never long frenetic.In 2015, this is an important film that deserves some real success.

Never has a tale of an African migrant crossing the Mediterranean sea from Tripoli to Southern Italy been so timely. Daily reports of large numbers making the perilous journey abound and this path of migration into Europe and the EU is one of the many routes being used.This tale looks at what happens to those African migrants who survive the journey and arrive in Italy seeking work to provide for their families back home and establish a life in their host country. This film is set in the present but it harks back to a riot in 2010 when the migrants protested their treatment by the local population in Rosarno. Rosarno is a town at the toe of the boot that is Italy on maps. This film is the biography of real life migrant Koudous Seihon, who appears in the film playing himself under the character name of Aviya. It is Aviya, a new arrival from Burkina Faso, that we follow and it is his perspective on events with which the film is concerned.Aviya travels with his friend Abas from Burkina Faso to Algeria and then across the land border into Libya before crossing the Mediterranean. Along the way we witness Aviya being a chameleon who adapts to his situation and makes the best efforts to get ahead regardless of what is happening around him. He sells shoes to his fellow migrants for the desert crossing. He negotiates his friend's seat for the journey. He is a survivor.There are lots of details during the journey that are not lingered on but inform the attentive viewer that surviving is a feat in itself. People are robbed and shot. People are sea sick and, when the boat's motor ceases, people cannot swim. Those who can and make it to a temporary sea refuge from which to hail for help are not strong enough to hang on. Bodies, lost lives and with them hopes and needs litter the way.Upon arrival in Italy Aviya and Abas discover that living conditions are somewhat worse than they left in Burkina Faso. Home is a make shift hut with no insulation, a burner for wood and a thin quilt. There is no running water, rats occupy the same quarters and food is as and when. Nonetheless the migrants are not giving up; a market of sorts has emerged in the shanty town and there are locals willing to do trade. Work is not readily available and when it is, it is back breaking, potentially dangerous and low paid. Aviya sets himself to cultivating relationships with dealers, with local employers, with their families and with his other migrants. Abas rebels, angered by the way they are being treated. When one considers the challenges and traumas of their journey Abas's anger and contempt are understandable.Tensions culminate in a spontaneous riot after two migrants were shot by police. During the riot Abas is beaten to a pulp and he seems unlikely to survive. Aviya survives and takes stock of his situation. Initially he wants to return home; emotional, tired and defeated he cannot see how to survive. Then a Skype conversation with his sister and young daughter ignites the last of his resolve and it appears he stays. The film leaves open Aviya's ultimate decision and fate but Koudous Seihon did stay. He was present at a Q/A conducted at the London Film Festival and in the company of the director, Jonas Carpignano and the actor who played Abas, Alassane Sy. In spite of its bleak story this film is a pot-pourri of feelings: There is anger, hatred, racism, aggression and love, desire, fun, laughter, lots of humour and grief, sorrow and longing. The film was made on location in Southern Italy and Rosarno. It has the support of the residents of Rosarno and it is an important document for the European populace. The film does not attempt any answers; it shows how it was for one man. If migrants are not dissuaded from making the journeys then Europe and the wider Western world needs a better policy and response to those who survive.