After the South of Italy, Germany and Slovenia, the New Neighbours journey takes us to Belgium with “Danielle’s Choice”. Belgian film director Safia Kessas followed an extraordinary woman who opened her house to refugees. Why Danielle?
“Because despite obstacles, she follows her choices to the end, she is an active citizen who resists”, says Safia.
Danielle – because the most welcoming people are women and in Europe they are the ones we see on the screen the least. Danielle – because she is a strong, courageous and determined woman who shows us the human face of migration.
Co-produced by the EBU Intercultural and Diversity Group and RTBF, the documentary tells her story as she joins a platform of volunteers helping new refugees find accommodation and get on their feet. But in the process, Danielle’s own family is left feeling forgotten. How can she reconcile her need to be a part of her own family, while creating a new one?
Danielle’s Choice had its premiere at the Centre for Fine Arts Bozar in Brussels on the occasion of the World TV day in November 2019. After the festival “Elles tournent” in January and the “Millenium” festival in March, the film was selected in April of this year for the ONE Country ONE Film international film festival as the only representative for Belgium in the short film category. Each year, one country is honoured, and several films are selected from that country. Since its creation in 2010, ONE Country ONE Film has selected 111 countries.
You can watch “Danielle’s Choice” subtitled in English here. All nine films are being made available one after another via www.newneighbours.eu