An international press conference and empty statements set the stage for a macabre ballet. Each individual and highly personal phase of life such as birth, life and death loses meaning. Collectively and endlessly repeated. An extensive and desperate decision follows, Dying for life.  

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Hold on... It's a trip like the one I did...

- says one  

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All what we told is true!

- shouts someone else  

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You must trust us, that's not fiction.

- claims another  

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Osama Abo Amro from Syria has been working on the theater piece under the wings of KunstZ since November 2015, together with some (ex-) residents of Fedasil Kapellen and students from the KunstZacademy. Osama became acquainted with Jo Roets from Laika Theater of the Senses through Cultural trajectories for newcomers.  

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In the documentary Dying for life Andrés Lubbert and Hussein Shabeeb follow Osama and Dara, two Syrians who meet in the reception center of Kapellen. Osama is writing a play about his experiences as a political refugee and dreams of being able to play it in a real theatre.  

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The documentary paints a unique picture of integration through participation in a theater performance. Andrès Lübbert and cameraman Hussein Shabeeb follow the team during the creation process of Dying for Life. In a parallel storyline, we discover the characters as youngsters in their quest to be accepted in a society that sometimes fears them, and in which they are confronted with prejudice.

Filmmaker Andrés Lübbert wanted to realize a project in which he focuses on the young refugees, whom he got to know through kunstZ. Andrés' father fled the Pinochet regime at the time and the theme continues to excite him as a filmmaker. Co-director Hussein Shabbeeb, fled Iraq 8 years ago.  

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