i see the stars at noon

Tourist With A Typewriter Ltd. is an independent documentary production company based in London. Dedicated to documentary film and photography projects, Tourist works with other artists, writers and cultural groups to follow and document the movement of people and ideas.

Tourist With A Typewriter Ltd. was conceived in 1994 by Saeed Taji Farouky and Gareth Keogh in order to tell the stories that mainstream news media and film studios were not telling. Their documentaries look behind the obvious sensationalism of daily news asking how individual lives fit into the bigger picture, and what happens to ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

I see the stars at noon
In January of 2004, in the northern Moroccan city of Tangiers, first time documentary filmmaker Saeed Taji Farouky met a 26 year-old Moroccan named Abdelfattah. He was a clandestine, one of many Africans who try to cross the narrow Straits of Gibraltar and illegally enter Spain by stowing away on cargo ships or boarding inflatable rafts. By the end of their first meeting, Abdelfattah had agreed to let Saeed follow him to film every aspect of his journey, including his dealings with people-smugglers, his struggle to raise the 750 Euro fee, and his final days with his family before leaving.

I See The Stars At Noon offers a unique and revealing insight into Abdelfattah’s desperate attempt to reach Europe. At times humorous and disturbing, it intimately examines the circumstances that lead him to risk everything for an utterly uncertain future: his ambitions for a new life, his expectations of what Europe can offer him, and his frustration at the failures of his own Morocco.

Hundreds of Africans attempt to cross the Straits of Gibraltar illegally every month for what they believe is a better life in Europe. They are willing to lose their friends, their families, and even their lives to chase this fantasy. Currently, immigration into Europe is an extremely controversial subject, and while EU members continue to demand secure borders, the controversy will not be easily resolved.

But I See The Stars At Noon is not only a portrait of a hopeful immigrant; it is also an exploration of the nature of documentary filmmaking and objectivity. The traditional relationship between filmmaker and subject is thrown into question when Abdelfattah asks why his life is being filmed for the benefit of European audiences, and what he deserves in return. Such issues are rarely dealt with in documentary film, and by addressing them head-on, I See The Stars At Noon stands out as a highly original and deeply personal look at the dilemma of illegal immigrants.

Director & Camera: Saeed Taji Farouky
Producer: Gareth Keogh & Saeed Taji Farouky
Composer & Sound Mix: Joe Lewis
Editor: Gareth Keogh
Additional sound mix: Dan Willis
Translation: Esmat Allouba
Additional Translation: Ismail Guennouni
Funding: Mohannad Farouky & Fergal Keogh

http://www.touristwithatypewriter.com/hijra/hijra_synopsis.htm