Europe's dark secret is being ignored.
Asylum seekers are being systematically killed at the border of Europe.
We are Human Rights Activists & Oscar qualifying film makers with an ambition to catapult the issue into mainstream discourse through the story of one 8-year old boy's journey and his encounter with border forces.
Our film is inspired by the true stories of survivors who are working with us on developing this film.
A 'pushback' is a sanitised way of describing often brutal and murderous crimes of border forces in the EU.
A recent BBC documentary has even shown accounts of the border forces of throwing Asylum Seekers into the sea with their hands cuffed with no lifejackets.
Thousands have been killed according to the Guardian, yet these stories are simply getting lost in the news cycles.
watch interview
We are consulting with survivors closely at every step to authentically depict the truth about Europe's deadly border violence in our drama portraying one boy's journey.
Above is a video of our Writer-Director speaking to a survivor.
We have already received significant investment, we kindly ask for help in covering our remaining funds.
If you are interested in donating a larger amount for official accreditation or sponsorship please contact directly via: [email protected]
Our film, MOOSHI follows a cheeky and playful 8 year old boy, Amir, as he, his Mother and Uncle, are forced to flee Iran and make the treacherous journey to Europe. All the while, Amir dreams about getting a pet bird and naming it 'Mooshi'.
Their journey takes a dangerous turn when they attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea and they are confronted by the Greek Coastal Guard.
Amir and his family's story also reflects one of the many real cases brought before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR); the survivors of the Farmakonisi tragedy all attest to the Greek Coast Guard damaging and forcing their vessel to Turkey leading to the destruction of their boat and the death of 7 children.
Despite the ECHR ruling in favour of the victims, the practices of Greece's border violence & deadly pushbacks on asylum seekers have continued systemically.
Filmmaker, Actress & Activist Maisie-Richardson-Sellers is Executive Producing MOOSHI.
Coast guard, hired third parties; forcibly 'push' asylum seekers back outside of their territory, using deadly strategies which have killed thousands, a recent BBC investigation showed border patrol throwing asylum seekers into the sea without a life jacket, sabotaging boats causing them to capsize, disabling engines, puncturing dinghies and even abducting & torturing those who do make it to the mainland & forcing them back onto the sea.
Over 2000 deaths on the Mediterranean Sea are linked to border violence and illegal pushbacks but the real number is believed to be far higher as 29,000+ refugees are missing along the Mediterranean Sea.
89% of the pushbacks documented use disproportionate and excessive force.
Particularly violent cases include kidnap, stripping asylum seekers naked, beatings and torture.
Pushbacks violate many Geneva Conventions, International Maritime Law, EU legislation & the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
But despite them being illegal the Greek Coast Guard are systematically continuing this deadly practice.
And now UK funded french forces are employing the same tactics according to documents leaked by the Observer.
For over a decade there has been footage of the Greek Coast Guard intentionally endangering lives when pushing refugees back.
As recently as March 2024, chilling footage has emerged of the French Coast Guard (allegedly financed by the UK government) employing tactics identical to those of their Greek counterparts.
BUT the footage, and the news reports, have not been enough, we need to do something different - we need to humanise these stories to make a stand.
In the UK, the Post Office vs Bates scandal, was on the news for many years.
But it was only through a TV dramatisation that the minds and hearts of the public were captured and this resulted in the injustices finally becoming public discourse.
- +20,000% increase in Google news searches on the Post Office scandal (despite the original story breaking in 2009)
- The Government debated the issue in parliament and has now begun exonerating the victims after the dramatisation.
We plan to do the same with Mooshi, raising awareness with an audience who otherwise are unaware of this harrowing truth about border violence.
Source * Guardian
Together, with your help, we will use this cinematic film about a child and his family, who suffer at the hands of a deadly pushback, as a tool for activism and lobbying within the mainstream film world with screenings in festivals that specialise in Human Rights and a parliamentary screening.
Global Press channels will be invited to panel discussions with survivors at each regional screening, and a petition will accompany our PR launch.