In Europe, waves of immigrants have renewed feelings of resentment towards people with darker skin and “strange-sounding” names. The ongoing economic crisis has led some politicians to search for scapegoats in traditionally ostracized communities like the Roma and Jews. Extremist voices are gaining political power, inspiring white Europeans to take to the streets to “claim back” their place in Europe. As a result, millions of people in Europe are feeling like strangers at home.
Storytellers throughout Europe are documenting the growing feelings of xenophobia in their own countries. Strangers at Home features short films by a range of talented people in Europe – filmmakers, writers, cartoonists, musicians, scholars, as well as average citizens.
Myles Tweedie documents a “hate mail” poetry slam where German journalists with “foreign-sounding names” read aloud hate mail, as part of a popular comedy routine to raise awareness about the trends of xenophobia in Germany.
Hate Poetry | Germany
Singer Esma Redzepova, who is known as the Queen of the Gypsies, discusses how life has improved for the Roma of Macedonia in her lifetime.
Queen of the Gypsies | Macedonia
Aleksandar Zograf, the famous cartoonist from Serbia, explores anti-Semitism in a country that has had virtually no Jews since WWII.
Chasing Ghosts | Serbia
Myrto Papalopudous, the award-winning Greek photographer and filmmaker, puts us on a tour bus of historic Athens through the eyes of the tens of the thousands of migrants arriving weekly.
Exceptionally Greek | Greece
An Italian nationalist speaks about how many Italians feel marginalized by the growing number of immigrants taking away jobs.
Fascist Logic | Italy
In Slovakia, according to the law and pressure from extremist groups, a trans person can only be recognized by their gender if they undergo sterilization. The founder of Transfuzia explains his story, activism and push towards dignity and recognition.
Identification | Slovakia
A Romani woman who, as a child, was labeled as “mentally slow,” talks about finishing university and now, 15 years later, leading the charge against school segregation in Czech Republic.
Teaching Racism | Czech Republic
A Russian lawyer running for political office spends his evenings with a group of right-wing nationalists, doing paramilitary training in preparation for what he sees as inevitable confrontations with those who are threatening traditional Russian values.
Defending Russia | Russia
A 19-year-old Swedish student name Jonathan is standing up to what he sees as a conspiracy of silence about anti-Semitism in Malmo, a Swedish town that has seen an exceptional rate of anti-Jewish attacks and propaganda.