Special Flight premieres July 1, 2013 at 10 PM on PBS stations. (Check your local listings). The film will be streaming online on POV’s website July 2, 2013 through August 1, 2013.
Special Flight premieres Monday, July 1, 2013 on PBS stations. Check local listings.
Special Flight is a dramatic account of the plight of undocumented foreigners at the Frambois detention center in Geneva, Switzerland, and of the wardens who struggle to reconcile humane values with the harsh realities of a strict deportation system. The 25 Frambois inmates featured are among the thousands of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants imprisoned without charge or trial and facing deportation to their native countries, where they fear repression or even death. The film, made in Switzerland, is a heart-wrenching exposé of the contradictions between the country’s compassionate social policies and the intractability of its immigration laws.
After the national broadcast premiere, visit the Special Flight companion site to watch excerpts from The World Is Like That, filmmaker Fernand Melgar’s short documentary that follows up with the characters of the film, and learn more about the plight of asylum seekers by exploring an interactive map that tracks the origins and destinations of asylum seekers around the world. Visit the companion website to join the conversation about the film with other POV viewers, get background information on detention centers and Switzerland’s asylum policy, download a discussion guide, and view a lesson plan for educators.
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