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WEEKEND EDITION
Red Deer Advocate SATURDAY, NOV. 7, 2015
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Welcome to the Jungle RED DEER FILMMKER WORKING ON PROJECT ABOUT ONE OF EUROPE’S WORST REFUGEE CAMPS BY LANA MICHELIN ADVOCATE STAFF
Photo of Justice Brooks by SPRINGLE PHOTOGRAPHY
It’s called the Calais Jungle. Red Deer filmmaker Justice Brooks twice visited one of the worst refugee camps in Europe to raise awareness of its tense, garbage-strewn conditions. The illegal camp is made up of thousands of North African migrants who have been fleeing their wartorn homelands to seek a better life in the West — only to get stuck living in temporary shelters as the weather cools and they wait for their refugee applications to be processed. Brooks, who graduated from Notre Dame High School and SAIT’s film program, is now based in the U.K. He is making a short video to be shown on YouTube about the camp. Its purpose is to “encourage people to do what they can … however small their contribution may be.” While the migrant situation “has been all over the media in Europe, people still know little to nothing, regarding what they can do to help,” said the 21-yearold formerly known as Justice Letkeman, who usually makes music videos. Along with members of a U.K. non-profit called Green Light, he was helping clean up the camp last month. “The garbage that was cleared will have been covered up with more garbage within a matter of hours, but to the refugees it made a difference to see that people took the time to come and do whatever they could to help.” Advocate reporter Lana Michelin spoke to Brooks about the project and his impressions of the camp:
How did you become involved in the film project? A director of photography I work with asked if I wanted to get involved on the project. I was keen on (it) because the sole purpose is to raise awareness. The (video) will be roughly three to five minutes so it can be distributed on the web. We worked with Green Light, a charity based in London. They go into the street at night and provide free non-invasive medical care for the homeless. In the camp, the Green Light team was picking up garbage and speaking with refugees. We had a media team capturing what was happening. The main company in charge of producing and showcasing the project is Hillsong Production, owned by Hillsong (Church, of Australia).
Were you able to just drive into the camp? Technically the camp is illegal. UNICEF and the UN cannot intervene unless they are officially summoned by the country’s government. Because France doesn’t want the refugees there, they are trying to turn a blind eye. There’s very little organization. Anyone can go in and out of the camp as much as they want. Something that I found really awful is that it’s actually become a tourist attraction. Tourists come into the camp to see what all the news hype is about, they bring their kids and everything. I understand that people want to see what’s happening but going there to see it as a form of entertainment is not OK in my opinion.
Describe the conditions. I did a project in West Africa, so I thought that I would be somewhat prepared for what I would see in the camp. I wasn’t. In Africa people are very grateful for everything they have.
Photos by ADVOCATE news services
Please see FILM PROJECT on Page A2
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