The Ministry of the Interior - Civil Liberties and Immigration Department and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), presented to the Press the short film produced in the framework of the Aware Migrants Information Campaign, “Granma”.

Born from the work of Horace Communications Agency, the film was developed as the original idea of director Gianni Amelio and produced by Gianluca Arcopinto. The screenplay and direction were entrusted to Italian Daniele Gaglianone and Nigerian Alfie Nze. “Granma” was filmed entirely in Nigeria, between Lagos and the village of Badagry, with a fully Nigerian troupe and cast and its soundtrack, which includes the song "Challenging death" written by Alfie Nze and played by the two young stars of the film,that is also featured in a music video promoted on social media, especially in Nigeria.

Watch the video "Challenging death" 

“Granma” is part of the official selection of the 70th Locarno Film Festival (2-12 August), during which it will be screened for the first time.

"When we launched Aware Migrants last year with the Ministry of the Interior," says Federico Soda, Director of the IOM Coordination Office for the Mediterranean, "we explained that the objective is to inform potential migrants about the risks and dangers linked to irregular migration across the Sahara desert and Mediterranean Sea. Thousands of people challenge death each year to reach safety and many become victims of violence and abuses along the way. The campaign has grown remarkably and, this year, it will expand and consolidate its outreach to the main countries of origin of the migrant population in Italy.”  "The campaign features many types of media products” continues Soda, "and we realized that the testimonies and videos we have produced so far are so effective that they can also become a tool to raise public awareness in Europe and spread empathy on the violence and abuses faced my migrants. With Aware Migrants we are actually trying to show the real face and real stories of migrants,who too often are dehumanized and reduced to mere numbers and statistics. "

This objective is reflected in "Granma", an "author" film that aims to enhance the cultural debate on the issue of migration in Europe and in Africa through its participation to film festivals and screenings in the two continents.