The Shelter

Synopsis

Accomplished documentarian Fernand Melgar is renowned for his powerful investigations into the injustices of Swiss society. His latest offering, The Shelter, charts a cold winter spent at an emergency shelter for homeless migrants in the wealthy city of Lausanne. His sensitive approach renders the camera invisible, immersing us straight into the heart of a hidden bunker where the same dramatic ritual unfolds every night. Shelter staff have the terrible task of randomly selecting the evening's residents: women and children first, men later if there is room. The shelter can hold 100 people, yet frustratingly, only 50 'chosen ones' will be allowed inside the concrete walls. Those that remain outside face a long and lonely night. Following controversial The Fortress and Emmy-nominated Special Flight, The Shelter is a masterful third part to Melgar's documentation of the migrant experience in Europe, and vital testament to the power of film to shed light on stories hidden in the shadows.

The Shelter forces us to see how awful homelessness is, and teaches us about the particular plight of migrants left out in the cold by bureaucracy and indifference in today's Europe. —Judith Sunderland, senior researcher, Europe and Central Asia Division

Destitute migrants, including Roma from Eastern Europe, are vulnerable to homelessness for many reasons, such as unemployment during Europe's economic crisis, housing discrimination, and lack of embedded social networks that can provide help. The many Roma staying in the shelter reflects their particular challenges as Europe's most disadvantaged minority, facing serial evictions from makeshift camps and limited access to public housing. Among those staying at the shelter is a couple from Latin America who moved to Switzerland after years of living in Spain, where they were evicted from their home when they could no longer pay their mortgage. Human Rights Watch has documented the housing crisis in Spain amid a deep recession, and its particular impact on immigrant communities.

Credits

Fernand Melgar

Director

Following a screening of experimental films in 1983, Fernand Melgar turned himself into a self-taught independent film director and producer. He created experimental films and iconoclastic television segments, and in 1985, he joined the production company Climage, with whom he has stayed a faithful collaborator, and has produced over twenty well-regarded documentaries on the subjects of immigration and identity.