Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona

The preview of the documentary Lesbos, an Island that Waits took place on the 20th of June at the Girona Cinema in Barcelona. The documentary was directed by Susana Soldado and Raúl López, professionals from Badalona Television. It was produced by  Badalona Comunicació with the participation of the AMB in collaboration with the Barcelona Provincial Council and the Greek NGO Lesvos Solidarity.

Lesbos, an Island that Waits reflects on the island's present situation and looks ahead to its future too. The island has been forced to adapt to its new reality as it waits for the European Union to shoulder the commitments necessary to guarantee the rights of refugees.

This audiovisual project strives to capture daily life on the island, four years after the arrival of thousands of people fleeing conflict in the Mediterranean. It uses the testimonies of refugees, inhabitants, local politicians and local and international NGOs, such as Proactiva Open Arms from Badalona, which has had "a decisive role in rescue work and in the complex situation that they are living through". Through their words, the film shows how anger, hope, exhaustion, gratitude, sorrow and solidarity are born and mixed in the heart of this society. At the same time, it shows how the NGO is capable of driving projects that can help to construct a future for everyone on the island.

The documentary will be shown at the 45th edition of FILMETS Badalona Film Festival, which will take place from the 18th to the 27th of October, 2019.

Metropolitan commitment

The event was presided over by the acting Vice president of the Area for International and Cooperation of the AMB, Maite Aymerich, and the acting Deputy of Culture of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Oriol Lladó. During the presentation, they brought to light the institutional commitment necessary to support initiatives like this one, to raise awareness among citizens about situations of injustice and vindicate the role of local journalism in showing us the current realities of our surroundings.

Afterwards there were speeches by the Managing Director of Badalona Communication, Josep Viñeta Balsells, Susana Soldado and Raúl López, who explained the production process and their personal experiences while filming on Lesbos. The closing speaker was Panagoula Koutsoumpou, representing Lesvos Solidarity, who explained the trajectory of the entity in its work to support and improve the living conditions of refugees on the island.

Since 2015, the AMB has adopted a strong commitment to the Mediterranean which has translated into the implementation of a specific policy on cooperation for refugee situations. On the one hand, it is supporting eastern Mediterranean countries that are taking refugees in (Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan), especially projects centred on refugee rights and environmental sustainability (water and waste). On the other hand, it is also working in Syria, the country of origin for most refugees to the Mediterranean. 51% of project resources have been expended in these territories.

This documentary is part of a cooperation program in Lesbos with a variety of activities that have been carried out with the participation of the municipality and citizens of Badalona.