“Le Merisier”,
Centre for Asylum Seekers,
Fraipont, Belgium
Directed by Dominique Guerrier

26 MIN
BETA DIGITAL (16/9)

Original version available
with English or French commentary
 
documentary – lifestyle – surroundings – art – culture
– society – history – nature – work – everyday life

SYNOPSIS

Kaleidoscope with the refugees… "Le Mérisier", a centre for asylum seekers is the opposite of Sangatte... situated in the Belgian Ardennes, in the Province of Liège, this centre in Fraipont opened its doors in April 1999 during the crisis in Kosovo. At that time, this former holiday camp, high in the hills in beautiful surroundings accommodated, at very short notice, a contingent of 375 refugees from Kosovo. At the end of this operation, the centre became a permanent refugee camp, which accommodates people from all over the world, but mainly from Central Asia and Eastern Europe. There are currently between 250 and 350 refugees (single or in families) living there, of 30 different nationalities and speaking twenty-odd languages. They are awaiting regularisation: provisional or permanent insertion in Belgium, or reinsertion into their country of origin if political conditions allow it. In the various premises spread throughout the park, the "Le Mérisier" centre, like other Red Cross centres in Belgium, takes care to ensure the coherence and quality of the services offered by developing a joint approach in the administrative and social accompaniment, the medical and psychological follow-up, the education of the children, the training of adults, and the organisation of daily activities...

CREDITS

Directed by : Dominique Guerrier
Script : Dominique Guerrier
Mister Kaleidoscope was written and acted by Marc-Henri Wajnberg
Image : Jean-Paul De Zaeytijd
Editing : Dominique Lefever
Sound : Damien Defays

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

Wajnbrosse Productions
Video cassette available on request Contact-us

PRODUCTION

ARTE France
Panic Productions
Wajnbrosse Productions

With the support of
Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) ,
Ministère de la Communauté Française de Belgique et des Télédistributeurs Wallons

REFERENCES



LINKS