As Far as I can Walk

Countries: Serbia/ France/ Luxembourg/ Bulgaria/ Lithuania

A re-imagining of a traditional medieval epic in which contemporary African migrants take the place of Serbian national heroes. Strahinja and his wife Ababuo left Ghana with a dream of a better life in Europe. Failing to reach western Europe, they were deported back to Serbia. Strahinja has started to build a career as a footballer, while Ababuo is unable to fulfil her ambitions as an actress and she feels increasingly frustrated. When she disappears one day, Strahinya sets off along the Balkan migrant route for completely different reasons than anyone else: for love.

A humanistic story about the need to find one’s place in the world, whether one is an economic migrant or a refugee. Urgent and timeless at the same time, the adaptation raises questions about identity, tradition, race and love. As Far As I Can Walk won five top awards at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

CINEMA SCREENINGS

(JHB) Ster Kinekor - The Zone / Fri 21 - 19.30 / R80
(CPT) Labia Theatre / Fri 21 -20.15 / R70

REVIEWS

Man cannot survive on survival alone, a point that Serbian director Stefan Arsenijević’s modern refugee fable “As Far As I Can Walk” makes with hushed, heartbroken clarity. Beyond a roof to sleep under what about other human needs, such as emotional or intellectual fulfilment?
Guy Lodge, Variety

This striking, unforgettable migrant odyssey digs deep into the cultural divide, and tells a tale of survival, tenacity and compassion.
Matthew Jenner, International Cinephile Society

The refugees are presented as broken and poor, but dignified, we get real, flesh-and-blood characters in Strahinja and Ababuo, with well-defined personalities, pasts and hopes for the future; both actors are positively magnetic on the screen!
Vladan Petkovic, Cineuropa

All the extras you see in the film are real migrants from several refugee camps and this helped us to be as authentic as possible. If we were depicting something wrong, they were correcting us.
Stefan Arsenijević, Director of As Far As I Can Walk