Danish filmmaker Janus Metz (“Borg vs McEnroe,” “Armadillo”), most recently attached to Season 2 of “Star Wars” series “Andor,” has his mind and heart fully-immersed these days not in a galaxy far, far away, but in real-life stories of human beings, risking their lives in the Mediterranean, in hope of a better life in Europe.
With his observational doc “Rescue,” selected for CPH:DOX’s co-production and co-financing showcase CPH:Forum in Copenhagen, the director has teamed up with his life partner Sine Plambech, a renowned anthropologist, filmmaker and migrant researcher. After a series of landmark documentaries on marriage and sex work between Thailand and Denmark including the Zurich Golden Eye winner “Heartbound” (2018), the duo is currently documenting the human tragedy and political game playing out in the Mediterranean, from the viewpoint of the search and rescue vessel Geo Barents, operated by the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (Médecins sans Frontières).
Thanks to unprecedented access to the MSF vessel for a full year, the filmmakers have been following at close range a group of rescuers – mostly women – as they save migrants and refugees, while navigating the opposition from armed militias, coast guards and the EU agenda of financing North African countries to stop migration at the source.
The story is told from the points of view of MSF head of rescuers Claire, one of the rescuers Nesma, and Yemen-born refugee Hani. Metz and Plambech are following Hani’s fate, as he gets separated from his wife and children – kidnapped in front of him by a Libyan militia – and tries to reunite with them.
Sine Plambech
Courtesy of Metz Plambech
Speaking exclusively to Variety ahead of their pitch at CPH:Forum on March 26, Metz, Plambech and producer Andreas Møl Dalsgaard of Elk Film (“The Lost Leonardo,” “As the Tide Comes In”) spoke about the extraordinary humanitarian work of MSF rescuers, today’s EU migration policy that tends to fuel criminal activities around the Mediterranean and abuse of human rights, but also of the emotional toll of saving distressed human beings out at sea.
“As a migration researcher, I have followed many heartfelt stories over the years, but the situation around the Mediterranean is unique in its urgency,” says Plambech, who has been on two rescue missions aboard the Geo Barents since April 2024. “Witnessing people being rescued, the intimate human connection with them, is something I have never experienced before and I will never forget that feeling.”
“I cried a lot,” admits Metz, who himself has attended one rescue mission. “When you’re on the boat, you meet those people face to face. It’s like…I’m me, you’re you and I’m saving your life. That’s all I can do. I don’t know what your destiny will be, if you will be sent back or not, but there’s an immense feeling of gratitude and respect at that very moment. It’s hugely emotional. Then next to you are rescuers who also do their best to hold their emotions, but act like firemen or paramedics. They have to cope.”
Dalsgaard’s company gave the crew access to debriefing sessions and psychological support to help them navigate those difficult emotions. “Witnessing first-hand those tragic situations of migrants at sea is traumatizing. You can’t walk away untouched,” Dalsgaard says.
Describing the MSF rescue operations aboard the Geo Barents, Plambech says the vessel, which can fit up to 600 people, has a team of around 24 rescuers and doctors, on top of crew members. “They have been at sea for eight years and rescued around 12,000 people, witnessing all kinds of tragedies, but also magic moments, like babies being born.”
Janus Metz
Courtesy of Janus Metz
However, the MSF’s humanitarian mission at sea is almost untenable due to today’s political context, say the filmmakers, who continue to document the situation as it evolves.
“It’s been a very dramatic year, as the political situation in Europe, especially in Italy, has obstructed their work,” explains Dalsgaard, referring to the implementation by Giorgia Meloni’s government of the Piantedosi Decree in 2023, which has forced the Geo Barents to do one rescue mission at a time, forcing it to navigate to and back from distant ports instead of assisting people in distress. “The vessel has experienced various detention orders and fines for rescuing more than one boat at a time. It’s been very very difficult. At the same time, with EU migration funding to Libya or Tunisia, we’ve seen criminality developing, with militias taking migrants hostage to make money. Some of them are forced to do the journeys across the Mediterranean multiple times and are being held hostage multiple times. All this complex dynamic plays out in the film,” says Dalsgaard.
Summarizing the filmmakers’ vision, the producer says: “The goal of our film is to showcase and reveal from a human perspective how this criminal system plays out and its effects on people, the rescuers who are the witnesses, and the migrants, obviously the victims.”
“We’re documenting the consequences of the EU migration politics,” adds Metz. “We don’t come up with a million-dollar answer to a million-dollar question, but we say: we must do better than this. It is corrupting our souls, as we’re literally creating a killing zone for migrants from North African territories in the Mediterranean.”
Quizzed about their next steps with their shooting schedule, Plambech and Metz say they will most probably do one more rescue mission in the spring, expand the portrait of Hani and his family, and further document the migration issue from a Libyan perspective, with support from local journalists, to have a full overview of “the increasing constraints on humanitarian operations in the Mediterranean.”
Dalsgaard says he expects the film to move into production following the CPH:Forum pitch.
The film is being produced by Dalsgaard with Sofie Husum Johannesen, in co-production with Italy’s Fluid Produzioni, with backing from the Danish Film Institute’s development support, the Danish Art Foundation, Politiken Foundation and Creative Media. Broadcasters on board so far include DR, VPRO, SVT and NRK.
“We have space for one more co-producer and are negotiating with sales agents,” Dalsgaard says.
“Rescue” is among 30 international documentaries in late development or production selected for Copenhagen’s CPH:Forum running March 24 to 27.
