2008

SALAAM ALEYKUM COPENHAGEN

SALAAM ALEYKUM COPENHAGEN / VORES VENNER 

Sašo Niskač | Denmark, Slovenia, Slovakia 2008 | 19 Min. | OmeU

Salaam Aleykum Copenhagen is a short documentary about Haluk, Iman and Allan – three young people with Turkish, Kurdish, Lebanese and Danish backgrounds living in Copenhagen. How do they confront their lives with the atmosphere of Copenhagen, their new home? The film is a portrait of their attitudes towards the questions of immigration and integration, their daily problems and challenges, family values, their view on Danish society and Copenhagen itself. While presenting their worlds they are opening the doors towards understanding of Copenhagen itself. They are Copenhagen and Copenhagen is them.

„…It is hard and then people say: you are well integrated, and I think: what is ‚well integrated‘? Is it when Danes feel I am well integrated or the immigrants feel I am well integrated? Or is it when I myself feel that now I can tackle the two cultures?“…“I have learned to drink my girlfriends homeopathic drops, medicine, and she drinks my Kurdish tea each day, and that is for example integration. But I am tired of the word ‚integration‘.“

The documentary group SPIRIT OF COPENHAGEN was established in Spring 2006 with the aims to contribute to local film scene in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark. The group consisting of artists with different nationalities and cultural background tries to work with topics related to issues of every day life of the society which we are part of. Salaam Aleykum Copenhagen / Vores Venner is their first project.