The Moroccan boys Imad (15), Nourdine (17), Walid (18) and Hamza (17) live in a cave under the lighthouse in Melilla. Every night they break into the harbor and try to climb on board the ships leaving for the Spanish mainland. In the shadow of the rocks, they created a micro-society with their own hierarchies, chants and rules. To pass the time, they phone their mothers on video or film themselves being chased by the police. The film follows the boys over five years. From their life in the caves to their attempted escapes to Spain. They call themselves: Harragas – those who burn the passports, the borders, their lives.
“With our film, we try to draw attention to the living conditions of children and young people, thousands of whom live right next door to us throughout Europe. We would like to create a dialogue and ensure that fewer of them have to drown in the sea. In the long term, we would like to decriminalize them. The perspective of Moroccan co-writer Hicham Bourais who himself lived illegally in Spain provides a valuable inter-cultural dialogue for the film that illuminates both sides of the border. During our research, we traveled for five years, following the boys throughout Europe, gaining insights into the invisible world in which children live illegally, door to door with us under desolate conditions. […]”
Benjamin Rost