High in the French Alps, on the border between Italy and France, refugees risk their lives crossing dangerous mountain routes. Witnessing the increasing influx of refugees, local communities in the Roya and Durance Valleys start providing them with shelter, food and legal counselling. Since transporting and hosting undocumented migrants is a criminal offence, they find themselves on the wrong side of the law, sometimes even facing jail time for their acts of civil disobedience. The Valley documents the battle between the population and the authorities, who themselves blatantly violate human rights when refusing to process asylum seekers and minors' requests. This gripping chronicle rightfully reclaims the ethical duty of solidarity, criminalized by a perverted system. 

"This compelling film goes to the front lines of the refugee crisis as a handful of citizens in the Roya and Durance Valleys, near the French-Italian border, do their part to help fellow citizens of the world seek asylum."
"The doc focuses not on the horrors people escaped or the perils of their travels-those narratives have been covered elsewhere-but on the individual actions that seek to remedy the solution."
"Escudeiro captures some incredible footage as the police detain asylum seekers, like an Eritrean family of three, and deport them to Italy on the sly without even informing the family's lawyer..."
"The Valley is a refreshing call to action that challenges audiences to go rogue if they can no longer stand idle as the situation worsens."
(Pat Mullen, 27/04/19 - Hot Docs - for POV magazine - read the full article here )

Awards: "Emerging International Filmmaker" award at Hot Docs, BNL Gruppo BNP Paribas Award and special mention from the official jury at Visioni dal Mondo