8 Borders, 8 Days

Would you have the strength to survive a terrifying escape across the Mediterranean Sea in a leaking rubber raft jammed with dozens of panicking strangers? With your two young children? First-time filmmaker Amanda Bailly provides an intimate view of this and many other chapters in the perilous journey of Syrian single-mother Sham - from Syria, to Lebanon, to Greece, and onward - seeking refuge and freedom for her family. Rarely is the welcome carpet rolled out for Sham and the tens of thousands other refugees who are desperate to reach safety in Europe before the continent closes its doors. Stumbling through the darkness on back roads, smashed like human sardines in a crushing border crossing, or finding an uncertain moment of relief in Berlin, you will be Sham's travelling companion as she and her courageous kids undertake a modern Grapes of Wrath exodus in hope of a better life. Or will they become casualties of nationalism? (Florida Film Festival)