In the mountains of northern Morocco, hundreds of Sub-Saharan African migrants live in hiding, trapped between the continent they fled and the Europe they dream of reaching. Their goal is to cross into Melilla, a Spanish enclave on the African coast, separated from Morocco by a heavily militarised barrier. For most, it is a dream deferred indefinitely.
The Land Between documents the everyday lives of these migrants with unique and unprecedented access – the makeshift camps, the waiting, the violence meted out by Moroccan and Spanish authorities, and the quiet moments of humanity that persist despite everything. It explores questions that go far beyond migration itself: how and why people are prepared to risk everything – their safety, their families, their lives – in search of something better.
Directed by David Fedele, the film is an intimate and unflinching portrait of people caught in limbo at one of the world’s most contested borders. It neither sensationalises nor distances itself from its subjects, allowing their stories to speak with quiet authority.
The Land Between premiered at the FIFE International Environmental Film Festival in Paris, where it was awarded Best Feature-length Documentary. It has since been screened at the European Parliament in Brussels and won awards at festivals across Europe, including Naples Human Rights Film Festival (Best Film), International Migrant Film Festival (Best Film), Lampedusa In Festival (Best Film), and Festival delle Terre (Crossroads Award). The film has been broadcast and screened widely around the world.
