Kalès

The only direct commentary by filmmaker Laurent Van Lancker on what he spent a year documenting is the opening quote, from Dante's Inferno: "So bitter it is, that death is little worse." From then on, the camera speaks in dark shots filmed in the refugee camp close to Calais, which people now refer to as "The Jungle." As the wind from the sea repeatedly rips the flimsy tents made of garbage bags to shreds, the camp’s inhabitants attempt to justify their existence. Using the very few resources available, they organize themselves as best they can into a basic society: cooking, trading, making music, celebrating birthdays and just getting through the day until the long night falls. The absence of commentary is a blessing—the images alone say so much. The poetry comes from the refugees themselves: "I dreamed that I could cross over to England in a hot-air balloon, everything was ready. But then I woke up in the Calais jungle." (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)