Dok Fest Munchin, one of the world’s biggest documentary festivals, will on the 7th May 2022 screen State of Mic documentary ‘ Home Again’ along with 124 films from 55 countries, with “Home Again” being the only film from The Gambia.
The film is about reintegrating returned migrants through the eyes of Paabi Jabbie, a young man who is determined to be successful in The Gambia despite having twice attempted unsuccessfully to reach Europe through the “backway.” Immediately after the screening, there will be a panel discussion called: Generation Africa: Shifting the Narrative, Migration, and Film Production in Africa.
“Home Again” was inspired by a meeting in Malta, which involved African and European leaders, whose aim was to solve the migration crisis through cooperation. The meeting led to the generation of 4.5 billion Euros to fight the root causes of migration, which include poverty and conflict. In this film, ‘we explore how funds generated from that meeting are used to create reintegration packages for migrants like Paabi and whether the funds can eradicate poverty that led migrants like Paabi to emigrate.’
The film is directed by Babucarr Manka and produced by Alhagie Manka. Among the duo’s previous pieces of work are two very successful Gambian movies titled, “welcome to the smiling coast” and “gifts from Babylon” which have both won numerous awards at international film festivals.
The journey with “Home Again” began in 2018 with Generation Africa training filmmakers across Africa on how to tell better stories through documentaries. Through Generation Africa, a documentary project that features 25 films from 16 countries in Africa, “Home Again” secured funding from Arte France for production after competing with 180 applicants. Films from Generation Africa have won awards and received nominations at festivals, including the only Oscar nomination for a film from Africa this year.
