Truthdig
As conflicts spread and climate change worsens, the refugee crisis worldwide is breaking astounding records. There currently are 70.8 million forcibly displaced people around the globe, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Each of these individuals has a tale to tell about overcoming immense obstacles and dangers as he or she sought safety and stability away from homes they were forced to leave. One such story is told in the documentary “Midnight Traveler,” filmed by Afghan director Hassan Fazili and his family on three cellphones over the course of three years. The film documents their displacement from Afghanistan after receiving threats from the Taliban because of a film Fazili made about the terrorist organization, and their journey toward Europe in search of refuge.
Emelie Mahdavian and Su Kim, producers of “Midnight Traveler,” spoke with Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer about the award-winning film in the latest installment of “Scheer Intelligence.” Mahdavian, the film’s editor, writer and producer, was in touch with the Fazili family before they began filming “Midnight Traveler.” She says they all had hoped the family’s journey and story would be a much shorter, less difficult tale to tell. Mahdavian also recounts the worries she experienced about the Fazilis throughout the filming and production of this important work of art.