Jungle, a Modern Odyssey

Syrian-Dutch actors Majd Mardo and George Tobal both received a Dutch Golden Calf award for their acting performances in this two-part film about different travellers on their way to ‘the promised land’. It is not just their destination that ties their destinies together: all of them are also travelling illegally.

In the first part, we are introduced to three strangers who had to leave their homes out of sheer necessity and end up travelling in the same truck. In order to pass the time, they share their dreams and ideals with each other. In part two, a young Syrian refugee on his way to London ends up in the notorious and ruthless ‘Jungle’ refugee camp in Calais. He establishes a fragile friendship with his cynical tent-mate, who has already abandoned all hope of a happy ending. While trying to navigate the unwritten laws of the camp by day, by night the two risk their lives to find their way to ‘the promised land’: England.