Short Film “Nowhere Man” - Pakistani Refugees in South Korea are fighting for Recognition

22.01.2018

The A. Family has fled from Pakistan to South Korea, 6000 miles away. A story that also deals with South Korean asylum policy.

Title: Nowhere Man
Director: Kim, Jeong Keun (Korea)
Subject: Life of a Refugee Family in Korea
Year of Production: 2016
Length: 8.15

Contact: Maria Beihof, desk officer, Asia & Pacific Department

Short Film Program: “People in Motion” – Why do People leave their Homes? What Paths do they Take?

In cooperation with local partners, the FES international offices produced a short film program that deals with these questions. The films are available on our TOPIC pages “Flight, Migration, Integration”. Please feel free to use them for your own events.

Releases:

The Route was never the Destination. “We have become migrants....but one day we will arrive.” Short film about a Cuban family that had to flee their country.

Return. In the 90s Lana Mayer fled Croatia for Germany. Now she has returned to Vukovar. This film tells her story.

Move. Three people leave their homes and end up in Namibia. In the short movie “Move”, they reflect upon migration, European double standards and imbalances of power.

The Rainbow-Center of Gaziantep. “Exile offers the chance of overcoming the shadow of violence”. A short film on Syrian dissidents caring for traumatized children.

Caught in the Middle – Migration in Ethiopia. “I do not want my children to live in fear, like I did”. A short film about Ethiopian refugees in Sudan.

Chaught in the Middle, Part 2. Elsa's husband, Yosef, has arrived in Sweden. He has not yet been able to bring his family. Part 2 of the short film “ Between Two Stools”.

Jaminton and Yannia are Leaving. Displaced in one's own country. A short film about a family in Colombia who have become internally displaced due to civil war and violence.

Unseen Shadows - Those who are left behind. A short film on the challenges of women and families in India, whose men have migrated in search of work.

Cyber-Mom. A short film about three children from Central American El Salvador who are raised by their grandparents because their parents have migrated to the USA for work.

Asfur - Syrian Refugees in Turkey. "Asfur" gives an insight into the life situation of Syrians who had to flee from the war zone Syria and now living in Hatay (Turkey).

Behind the Sea. The film deals with the story of four Algerians who left their homeland for various reasons and returned to Algeria after a certain time. [only available in german]

Image: Filmausschnitt "Nowhere Man" of FES Südkorea

Mr. A. (as we will call him) and his family have fled the repression and violence in their native Baluchistan (Pakistan) and ended up 6000 miles away in the South Korean port city Busan. Their incredible tale draws attention to the fact that both refugee movements, as well as bureaucratic hurdles for asylum seekers, are a global phenomenon.

In 2017, over 7000 people have applied for asylum in South Korea. Compared to Germany, this seems like a low and manageable number. However, only 98 people were granted asylum status. But what happened to the others?

The short film “Nowhere man” by director Jeong Keun Kim offers a glimpse into the life of a rejected asylum seeker in South Korea. Mr. A. already came to South Korea from Baluchistan in 1996. He and his family then lived in the far-eastern country for 19 years without an official status. In 2015, they were finally recognized as refugees. And now? A. explains that he likes living in South Korea because he and his family can feel safe there. He regrets, however, that he cannot really play an active part in society and dreams of returning to his home country one day.