Die Begegnung der Inseln

Directed by Uwe Bolius

This film begins with black women dancing and black men expressing their praise: They are praising Austria. For over ten years, the 'alpine republic' has been cooperating with the ten parched Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic Ocean near the west coast of Africa. In total, seven completely different projects are presented and evaluated critically. In passing, the viewer also learns something about the country and its people: Young people curse the beautiful archipelago, calling it a hole, a prison, hell... They are unable to find work. The individual character of the Austrian projects enable the cinematic discussion of some basic concepts of development politics. This film takes a look, both affectionate and critical, at a distant and exotic country which comes closer to us the longer The Meeting of the Islands lasts.