This Dystopian Film Shows Lack of Support for Migrants Seeking Refuge

As the Mediterranean Sea continues to play a crucial role for the many migrants that leave their country of origin looking for safety and a better future, unfortunately, many of them find death in that very same sea. Since 2014, more than 28.000 people lost their lives in these waters.

Due to the lack of safe and legal access, the commitment of the civil navy to not just stand by and watch is crucial. This is the message behind the latest film from NGO Emergency and Ogilvy, 'Man At Sea.' In addition to the NGO’s work in war zones, Emergency affirms its commitment, with its Ship ‘Life Support’, to search and rescue migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea, one of the most dangerous migrating routes.

The film, 'Man at Sea,' is a dystopian story that takes place on just any Mediterranean beach. A lifeguard is patrolling the horizon, when suddenly he sees a man who’s drowning. Immediately, he starts running towards the sea to save him, but he’s stopped by a couple trying to dissuade him, followed by many other beach attendants, interjecting all-too-common - excuses not to save him: “Who knows where that guy comes from?”, “Where would he stay?” “As long as they know they’ll get rescued, they’ll swim here.” “Those people never want to do anything.” “They should stay home.”

Surrounded by a group of people preventing the lifeguard from moving, he can’t go to the man’s rescue and he drowns before the indifference of many, creating a powerful metaphor for this very indifference that surrounds these tragedies every day.

“The Emergency film is a long tradition between Emergency and Ogilvy – says Giuseppe Mastromatteo, president and chief creative officer of Ogilvy Italia – that brought us to talk about the most important and universal topics in society nowadays. This year, it brought us to experiment with a new language - a completely different tone of voice - both for Emergency and NGOs, aimed to interrupt the constant flow of online contents and asking people to truly pay attention.”

“Rights should belong to everyone. Otherwise, they should be called privileges” said our founder of EMERGENCY, Gino Strada. Adds Emergency, “This quote, that inspires every project we embark on, makes even more sense on the side of Life Support, our Ship, whose purpose is to save whoever is risking their life in the Mediterranean Sea to get to Europe. It is necessary to have safe legal access and a rescue mission, coordinated on a European level; but, in the meantime, we can’t  just stand by and watch.”

In a year of operations and 14 missions, the EMERGENCY Ship has rescued 1.219 men, women, kids and minors traveling alone.