sELECTION: EU Election Mini-Festival

On Thursday, June 6th, the Melkweg transforms into a polling station for the five-yearly European elections. Encouraging its often youthful audience to vote, the Melkweg hosts the sELECTION mini-festival, celebrating European democracy.

As part of this event, DutchCulture|Creative Europe Desk NL will screen two films at the Melkweg Cinema: "Green Border" and "Io Capitano," both nominated for 'best film' at the European Film Awards 2023. These films critically examine the utopian Europe of the EU from a migration perspective. Following the screening of "Green Border," Oxfam Novib will engage in discussions with various guests on themes such as freedom and Europe's boundaries. Visitors can also have protest slogans screen-printed onto vintage shirts and tote bags at the Oxfam Equality Hub.

After the film, there's an opportunity to dance! In collaboration with the pan-European platform Liveurope, the Melkweg also provides a stage for emerging musical talent from Europe on this election night. The lineup includes the Portuguese indie/groove/jazz band Casa Bonita, among others. Afterwards, De Kiesmannen will reflect on the campaign surrounding the European elections.

In the treacherous forests that form the so-called 'green border' between Belarus and Poland, refugees attempting to reach Europe via this route find themselves. Belarus seeks to undermine the EU by encouraging this border crossing, while Poland refuses to admit them. And so the refugees end up in a cold, swampy no man's land, without food and medical care. Their lives become intertwined as pawns in a political game: the activist Julia, border guard Jan, and a Syrian family.

A Homeric tale by director Matteo Garrone, narrating the adventurous story of two boys, Seydou and Moussa, who leave Dakar to reach Europe. Inspired by myths and true stories, Garrone takes the viewer on a deeply moving journey of two teenage boys, leaving their family in Senegal to pursue their dream of a better life in Europe. Their contemporary odyssey leads them through the suffocating desert and over the tumultuous sea. They begin their journey as humans, but quickly transform into commodities for human traffickers, where their dreams, hopes, and ambitions must give way to a struggle for survival.