Child Refugee Reunification /17 mins
Director/DOP/Producer
Benjamin Nikoiy is a 9-year-old Afghan boy that travelled with a neighbor from Iran to Turkey and by “death boat” to Lesvos. Now he is staying in a shelter for unaccompanied minors in Alexandroupolis Greece. He has been apart from his family for 9 months and hasn't seen his brother for more than 2 and a half years. His older brother Omid, himself a refugee now living in Berlin, will travel to the Arsis shelter in Alexandroupoli that has taken care of 82 unaccompanied minors since it first opened in 2013 and has successfully reunited 59 children with their families.
At the age of 19, Omid will be responsible for raising his little brother in Berlin. This documentary meets with Benjamin before his departure to Berlin and films the reunification of the two brothers in Greece.
Benjamin sitting with his caregiver at the Alexandropouli shelter as they catch up with his mother via Skype.
Social workers rely on EU and Greek government funding as well as donations; salaries are often delayed several months.
On February 4th 2016 in Berlin, Omid Nikoiy paid smugglers to get his brother Benjamin into Europe, 9 months later he flies back to Athens to pick him up. Under the Dublin regulation all refugees can be reunified with a family member residing in Europe once they’ve made it to European soil.
After years apart the two brothers are reunited, Omid "where have you been..."
