The Art Of Flight is a guerrilla documentary - shot illegally on camcorders and a laptop - about the plight of Sudanese refugees in Egypt. It highlights the failure of the UNHCR, and the brutality of the American backed Egyptian regime.
The director Davin Anders Hutchins travels through Sudan for the first 15 minutes of the movie to show the absolute hopelessness of the people due to the political and social unrest which is tearing the country apart. This lays out the field for the main focus of the commentary - the plight of the Sudanese refugees who have taken 'refuge' in Egypt and the 2006 massacre of Sudanese refugees outside the UNHCR's office in Cairo. The UNHCR far from being an agency that tries everything in it power to help the refugees instead participates in the oppression and stifling of the refugees voice and hopes - many times causing the refugees to make creative and desperate attempts.
The filmmaker was nearly arrested three times during the course of shooting. This feature length film tells the story of three people, a refugee from southern Sudan, a human rights activist from northern Sudan and an American journalist in self-imposed exile, all living in Cairo. For very different reasons, the trio has found themselves struggling to survive in Egypt - a U.S. financed dictatorship which has reluctantly become their home. The film highlights the brutality inherent in the regime of Hosni Mubarak, which pretends to be a democracy but in reality receives its legitimacy from the U.S. for its own ulterior motives.
The Art Of Flight features artwork of Sudanese painters living in exile. In addition to paintings from Sudanese artists and torture victims, the film also features an original soundtrack by Al-Khafiyeen, a musical ensemble of refugees who played together for a single night to score the film.
The film delves deep into questions about the nature of charity, the consequences of American empire and the price of silence.
..a harrowing and introspective documentary... an act of redemption..." - The Los Angeles Times
"...a terrific-looking, polished expose" - Variety
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