Fire at Sea

Situated 150 miles south of Sicily, the Mediterranean island Lampedusa has hit headlines as the first port of call for hundreds of thousands of Middle Eastern and African refugees hoping to make a new life in Europe.

Gianfranco Rosi's Fire at Sea, winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival 2016, portrays the history, culture and daily lives of the islanders and the humanitarian crisis occurring in the seas around them. Focusing on 12-year-old Samuele, the film slowly builds a moving naturalistic portrait of the Lampedusan people, the events they are caught up in, and a timely call for urgent action.