4.1 Miles: Oscar nod for film capturing refugee rescues
January 29, 2017
Daphne Matziaraki’s powerful short documentary follows a Greek captain and his crew as they save refugees off Lesbos.
Since the start of the crisis, Papadopoulos has saved thousands of refugees [Daphne Matziaraki]
It’s dark outside and Kyriakos Papadopoulos fills out his boat’s log inside a small, dimly-lit cabin.
“It’s a nightmare, this agony …” he sighs, his voice worn out and distant.
“Everywhere we went, there were people in the water. The only thing I’m hoping is that there is no one missing,” he continues, his gaze darkening as the memories of yet another grim day flood back to him.
These closing sequences are as powerful as every other scene in Daphne Matziaraki’s film 4.1 Miles, nominated this week for an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short category.
Over 21 minutes, Matziaraki captures the efforts of Papadopoulos, a Greek coastguard captain, as he and his small crew rescue men, women and children in the waters surrounding the island of Lesbos – just 4.1 miles from the Turkish coast – in late 2015.
Dramatic footage
The footage is captivating and hard-hitting, often unnerving. In one particularly poignant scene, Papadopoulos’ boat is gradually filled with frightened, wailing children as a handful of crew members frantically tries to pull to safety dozens of refugees, one-by-one.
