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On the Mediterranean waters off the coast of Libya, boats overcrowded mostly with adult men from conflict zones dot the waters. The vast majority of these vessels are full of asylum seekers escaping Libya, where, during perilous attempts to reach Europe, they were swept up by the European Union-funded Libyan coastguard. On land, they were often robbed, beaten and at risk of being trafficked. This short documentary captures the inherent tensions, bureaucratic frustrations and fleeting moments of joy aboard a Doctors Without Borders ship operated by a crew dedicated to rescuing these refugees from Libyan boats and death at sea. In particular, the film focuses on the tireless and sometimes thankless work of Salah Dasuki, a Syrian cultural mediator who was forced to make a similarly treacherous trip himself. Although there are flickers of hope amid the chaos on and off the ship, the Canadian director Ed Ou also makes it clear that, even upon docking in Europe, the asylum seekers face long odds of staying. Most will be sent back home, where many, still finding themselves in a desperate situation, will begin the journey all over again.
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Mood and emotion
A century of letters captures the emotions of life in a new city, far from home
21 minutes
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The environment
Photographs of rainforests dissolving in acid strike a beautiful note of warning
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Technology and the self
Adaptive technologies have helped Stephen Hawking, and many more, find their voice
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Ecology and environmental sciences
Experience the dazzling displays that fireflies create when humans are far away
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Stories and literature
Solaris and beyond – Stanisław Lem’s antidotes to the bores of American sci-fi
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Music
Before the Beatles dropped acid, a BBC workshop was creating far-out sounds
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Art
Is paying with hand-drawn banknotes artistry or forgery? The knotty case of J S G Boggs
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Human rights and justice
Portugal stole Goa’s lands and narratives. Can they ever truly be returned?
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Biology
In the jungle of Suriname, Maria Sibylla Merian discovered insect metamorphosis
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