Document Film Festival No Man Is an Island

The tiny island of Lampedusa rests in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea—a prime gateway for African refugees into Europe and a jumping-off point into greater Italy. For the few who remain on the island, this sanctuary comes at a cost. For Adam, a 16-year-old Ghanaian boy adopted into the family that employs him, the push to assimilate into Italian culture is tempered by sinister undercurrents of racism. Fleeing with many Tunisians during the Arab Spring, 21-year-old Omar has also found an adoptive family, but it's impossible to ignore his loneliness on the provincial island and his intense yearning for companionship. Both young men walk among the Lampedusiani looking for connection but finding only strangers. Like great poetry, this visually arresting and perceptive double portrait illustrates the ineffable qualities of their experience.

Tim De Keersmaecker | Belgium | 2016 | 1hr 20m