DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
Elena Andreicheva
I started making the film in response to discussions about immigration which seemed to spring up after the EU opened up to a number of new countries in Eastern Europe. These conversations troubled me, because I felt that people didn't see the human face of immigration at all.
Some reseach led me to Barka UK and the Reconnections Project, which helps immigrants return home when things haven't quite worked out in the UK. The decision to go back, for many, is one mulled over for years - it is a huge turning point, and a time for reflection. I took this as a starting point for the film.
My biggest priority was to convey the humanity of the central character in the film - this person would, by definition, be someone who was trying to put their life back together. As a result, this film isn't about a hard-working saint but about a real flesh and blood person with his own sometimes inconvenient narrative. I see the film, as much as a reverse migration story, mostly about him finding his place in the world in other ways. As much as immigration, this film is about freedom, responsibility and the idea of home.
My own background and lack of permanence was a major driving force for making the film. I was born and raised in Ukraine, spent my teenage years in a British boarding school moving rooms and houses countless times. Then university in London - halls, rented flats. I now live and work in London but probably have a different idea of what home means - maybe I'm still looking for one.
Finally, I'd like to address the issue of representation. By definition, the central character in the film is someone who is on the margins of society here in the UK. I hope audiences are able to separate the fate of the 'average' migrant from this single narrative, but I do believe that an intimate filmic portrait can act like a surprising personal encounter - one capable of even changing attitudes.
THANKS TO
Kuba, Ania & Family
The family at the heart of the film have been beyond generous with their time. I am incredibly grateful for their willingness to participate in the film, much beyond the original timeframe!
Barka UK & Barka Foundation Poland
The Barka Foundation in Poland is a unique organisation dedicated to working with excluded and vulnerable members of the community in a truly inclusive way. Since 1989, Barka has reached out to the “forgotten and unwanted”, giving them a chance for personal growth and social development. In 2006, Barka Poland was contacted by a London council due to their rising concern at growing problem of homelessness among Eastern European migrants. Since 2007 they have been running the Voluntary Reconnections project, which provides assisted return for Central and Eastern European (CEE) migrants to their country of origin. The project aims to ensure humane reconnection and reintegration of vulnerable migrants who are unable or unwilling to remain in the UK and wish to return voluntarily to their countries of origin, but lack the resources to do so.
I had the privilege of seeing Barka's work first-hand both in Poland and in London, and was inspired by their approach. Once someone is excluded from mainstream society, for whatever reason initially, it becomes very difficult for them to go back. They often wear the exclusion as a badge of honour, or as armour, which makes it all the harder to reach them. I would like to thank Barka staff in the UK and in Poland for their hospitalty and openness, towards myself and towards all those they help.
ABOUT THE FILM
This is an unorthodox migration story about a troubled character trying to find his place in the world. Sleeping rough in London, sometime Polish jobseeker Kuba is running away from the responsibility of family life in Poland - and a difficult past. This film follows his journey back to Poland to face the problems he left behind, in search of an elusive place to call home.