In the organizer's words:

A short film evening by shorts/salon with a discussion about migration and family

Labor migration is an economic factor, both in the countries of arrival and in the countries of origin. But what does this mean in detail? How do those who have left fare - and especially those who stay?
Three short films, which celebrated their premieres at the Berlinale and the Cannes Film Festival, look at labor migration, family relationships and economic dependencies from an unusual perspective.
In the subsequent discussion with migration researcher Prof. Dr. Magdalena Nowicka, thoughts, observations and analyses on this complex topic can be shared and deepened. A shorts/salon event.

We are showing:

COEUR BLEU (BLUE HEART) by Samuel Suffren
Haiti/France 2025, 15 minutes, Kreyòl with English subtitles, feature film
An elderly couple in Haiti go about their daily lives together. He takes care of her, whose body is getting weaker and weaker. The white, old-fashioned telephone is always present, hopefully soon bringing news of their son, who has emigrated to the USA.

NË MES (IN BETWEEN) by Samir Karahoda
Kosovo 2019, 14 minutes, Albanian with English subtitles, documentary film
Many have left Kosovo, they work, live and start their families far from home. Their parents stay behind and miss them, build them houses and hope for their return.

RETREAT by Anabela Angelovska
Germany 2022, 30 minutes, Macedonian, Serbian, English with English subtitles, documentary film
Thousands of young people have been recruited in North Macedonia over the last 20 years to work in the kitchens and laundries of the US military bases in Afghanistan and Iraq. Their families invested their wages at home in the construction of small palaces and lucrative properties. With the withdrawal of the last troops from Afghanistan in 2021, many of them returned - and with them traumas and experiences of war.

Further information

Age recommendation: from 18 years

shorts/salon is a series of events at changing venues. Short films, expert opinions, curiosity and playfulness come together, revolve around a theme and invite an exchange of ideas. The events are conceived and curated by Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck and Sarah Schlüssel. More at www.shortssalon.net and on Instagram (@shortssalon).

Prof. Dr. Magdalena Nowicka is a sociologist, honorary professor at the Institute for Social Sciences at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and head of the Integration Department at the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM). She conducts research on migration in Europe and the integration of immigrants in Germany, including commuter migration from Poland to Brandenburg.