May

The Mind Game

Sajid Khan Nasiri, Eefje Blankevoort and Els van Driel

When he was just 14, Sajid Khan Nasiri fled Afghanistan alone. After a two-year journey filled with danger and hardships – which he minutely documented on his phone camera – he arrives in Belgium to seek asylum. There, a whole new struggle begins. Intimate sequel to the prize-winning Shadow Game

They call it ‘the game’: the life-threatening journey that many unaccompanied minors undertake seeking protection in Western Europe. For Sajid Khan Nasiri, the game started at 14 after the Taliban killed his father. Via Iran and Turkey to Eastern Europe he progressed ever closer to his destination, hunted down by violent police and hostile civilians. In clips recorded with his telephone camera, and in messages to filmmakers Eefje Blankevoort and Els van Driel, he keeps track of his progress.

He is sure that when he arrives, he’ll be able to relax, go to school and start a new life. But once in Belgium a new game begins: the mind game. Being a child, how do you deal with the enormous mental pressure of the journey, with distrustful authorities, and disturbing messages from the home front? An intimate documentary about the psychological pressure young refugees face.

Directors Eefje Blankevoort, Els van Driel and/or Sajid will attend some of the screenings for the Q&A. The film is presented in cooperation with KRO-NCRV.

#EducationNoMatterWhat

Prior to The Mind Game, we will screen the short film When I Grow Up by Claire Billet and Olivier Jobard. A highly topical documentary, shot in Ukraine, about young people in conflict situations and the importance of humanitarian aid and education. The film is part of the EU’s Education, No Matter What campaign. Read more about the campaign and the film.

These On Tour screenings are supported by #EducationNoMatterWhat: the new campaign of the EU to support the right to education for children in emergencies.

Credits

Director
Sajid Khan Nasiri, Eefje Blankevoort and Els van Driel
Type
Documentary
Production
Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, The Netherlands, Romania
Year
2023
Duration
55
Spoken Language
Dari, English, Dutch
Subtitles
English / Dutch
*Theatres with subtitles and an in-depth programme in English.

Theatres, dates and times

Alkmaar
Tue 9 May at 18:30 in Filmhuis Alkmaar
Amersfoort
Mon 8 May at 20:15 in De Lieve Vrouw
Amsterdam
Sun 14 May at 19:15 in Kriterion*
Apeldoorn
Tue 9 May at 20:00 in Gigant
Arnhem
Tue 9 May at 19:00 in Focus Filmtheater
Delft
Thu 11 May at 19:30 in Filmhuis Lumen
Den Haag
Sun 14 May at 15:00 in Filmhuis Den Haag*
Deventer
Mon 22 May at 20:00 in MIMIK
Enschede
Mon 15 May at 19:30 in Concordia
Gouda
Wed 17 May at 20:00 in Filmhuis Gouda
Groningen
Tue 9 May at 20:30 in VERA Zienema*
Hilversum
Tue 9 May at 19:00 in Filmtheater Hilversum
Leiden
Mon 8 May at 19:00 in Kijkhuis*
Maastricht
Mon 1 May at 19:30 in Lumière Cinema*
Middelburg
Mon 8 May at 20:00 in Cinema Middelburg*
Utrecht
Mon 8 May at 19:00 in Louis Hartlooper Complex*
Wageningen
Tue 16 May at 19:30 in Movie W*