Watch the prize-winning documentary
We are the proud winners of the Gouden Kalf (gold calf) prize for Best Long Documentary at the Netherlands Film Festival and the Prix Europa – Media Competition for all over Europe 2021.
In November 2021 the film was broadcasted by Dutch broadcaster KRO-NCRV on NPO2. Would you like to see the film, or recommend it to friends or family? For viewers who are based in the Netherlands, Shadow Game (with Dutch subtitles) can now be watched online through the following platforms:
Are you based in The Netherlands?
– Watch on Picl and support your local art house cinema. Or watch on Vimeo on Demand Pathé, YouTube, Google Play, Prime Video or iTunes.
– You can watch the 56 minute version of the film on 2Doc, which also features an interview of the directors.
If you are not based in The Netherlands, please watch on Vimeo on Demand,the film is available with English and Dutch subtitles, more languages will follow later.
We’d love to hear what you think of it!
For viewers outside the Netherlands, the film will be made available online from June 2022. Or visit us on one of the international film festivals that will be screening the film, see the list at the bottom of this page. We hope to be seeing you there!
Follow-up
Do you want to know what happened to the boys after the film? Watch the short follow-up documentaries Jano & Shiro, a Brothers’ Journey, Durrab’s Labyrinth or Hammoudi’s Dream, or read more about the other main characters on this page.
The Shadow Game directors and main characters at the Dutch Film Festival.
A journey through the dark side of Europe
Shadow Game is an experimentally filmed account of the far-reaching consequences of European asylum policy. Now that fences have gone up all over Europe, seeking asylum has become almost impossible. The teenagers cross snowy landscapes and meet aggressive border police on their way. Reaching their final destination has become more difficult than ever. Their journey takes them through the whole of Europe: from Greece to North Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, from Italy to France and The Netherlands. The film was shot over a period of three years, partly by the main characters themselves on their phones.
The protagonists
A Modern Odyssey
Durrab (16 from Pakistan) tries to cross the 152-km-long double fence on the border of Serbia and Hungary. In Greece, 15-year-old Afghan ‘SK’ is just at the beginning of his journey. All over Europe, we meet kids who have already tried uncountable times to do ‘the game’ and are now stuck, like Iranian Mo, Pakistani Yaseen, Afghan Fouad and Iraqi Mustafa. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Syrian Hammoudi, at 14 the youngest of them all, recounts his attempt to pass the ‘last level’. In the same camp, brothers Jano (18) and Shiro (15) from Syria are preparing for their final move. Meanwhile in Ventimiglia, Faiz (17) from Darfur is doubting whether to try to cross into France once again.
Shadow Game is a mosaic story in which the experiences of many young refugees on the road are forged together into one universal tale: a modern Odyssey. Will they overcome the numerous obstacles they face? And will they find a new home?
2.56
Trailer
Play
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
In collaboration with FIACAT, Slovenian Migration Institute and Centre for Peace Studies in Zagreb, we organised a series of screenings and discussions. The events took place in 6 countries (the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia) and had a total of 2.005 participants, and reached and audience of 3.000.000 through social media campaigns, free publicity and other outreach.
The goals were to contribute to a better understanding of and more involvement with EU asylum policy among young European citizens; to generate more empathy for and solidarity with (minor) refugees; to create more involvement at societal level of (young) European citizens, helping these refugees.
The program was financially supported by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union.
Specific details for each event can be found in the information sheet below.
Screening at Tuškanac Summer Stage (Zagreb, Croatia) on 20/06/2022, organised by Centre for Peace Studies.
Screening in Cinema Troisi (Rome, ITALY) on 10/12/2021, organised by ACAT Italia.
The boys in European Parliament
One of these special screenings took place in the European parliament. On June 14th, in the context of World Refugee Day, together with the boys from the film, we screened the film and presented the manifesto Protect Children on the Move to the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Member States. The boys made their voices heard at the very centre of power in Europe, sharing their stories and what they have experienced, how their rights have been violated within Europe’s borders.
If you agree that children who have fled their countries should get a better protection and treatment, you can still sign the manifesto.
FILM FESTIVALS
Sibersalz Film Festival – 15/09/21 to 19/09/21
Germany
Human Rights Film Festival Berlin – 15/09/21 to 25/09/21
Germany
Nederlands Film Festival – 24/09/2021 to 02/10/21
Netherlands
LUCAS International Festival For Young Film Lovers – 30/09/21 to 07/10/21
Germany
UNHCR Refugee Film Festival – 01/10/21 to 14/11/21
Japan
Online Theatre UNHCR WILL2LIVE Cinema – 01/10/21 to 14/11/21
Japan
Terra Di Tutti Film Festival – 04/10/21 to 10/10/21
Italy
Prix Europa – 10/10/2021 to 15/10/2021
Potsdam, Germany
Festival Protesta In Vic – 15/10/21 to 23/10/21
Catalonia, Spain
Festival Des Libertés – 21/10/21 to 30/10/21
Belgium
MOVE IT! Human Rights Festival – 04/11/2021 to 10/11/2021
Dresden, Germany
One World Slovakia – 05/11/21 to 11/11/21
Slovakia
Festival Cinéma et Droits Humains – 14/11/21
Paris, France
Mostra-Me Human Rights Film Festival – 22/11/21 to 24/11/21
Lisbon, Portugal
Global Health Film Festival – 25/11/2021 to 05/12/2021
UK & Ireland
Human Rights Film Festival Zurich – 02/12/21 to 07/12/21
Switzerland
Solidarity Tel Aviv Human Rights Film Festival – 09/12/2021 to 18/12/2021
Israel
JEF Festival – 19/02/2022 to 06/03/2022
Antwerp, Belgium
Luxembourg City Film Festival – 03/03/2022 to 13/03/2022
Luxembourg
''