Yves' Promise – A documentary by Melanie Gärtner

„Finally somebody gives another point of view to a topic that had been so much in the news like immigration to Europe. The curiosity of Melanie and her very personal storytelling made it a very remarkable film.“

Raul Nino Zambrano, International Documentary Festival Amsterdam 2017

Preparation of the crossing

Sister Annie

Brother Rostand

The fathers' blessings

Video message for Sylvain

Yves lonely in Bilbao

Yves is sitting lonely on a bench in Bilbao

Synopsis

Frustrated by a corrupt system, Yves leaves his home in Cameroon to try his fortune in Europe. But to get there is more difficult than expected. Yves has been on the road for eight years – and is close to failing. Back home are the people who mean the most to him: his sister Annie, who has been holding the family together since Yves left, his little brother, waiting for Yves to take him to Europe, and his father, who expects him to lead the family to a better life. A film about family, the dream of Europe and the impossibility of giving up.

A documentary by Melanie Gärtner

distributed by JIP film & verleih

Screenings

20. Juli 2019 20:00h Internationales Filmfestival Ladenburg, Domhof

12. August 2019 20:00, Montagskino Mauerwerk in Herrenberg

2. September 2019 18:00h in Langen, Film & Filmgespräch Interkulturelle Woche 2019 Kino Langen

11. September 2019 20:00h in Bad Oldesloe, im OHO Kinocenter

17. September 2019 20:15h in Gelnhausen Film & Filmgespräch Interkulturelle Woche 2019 Kino Geldhausen

18. September 2019 20:30h in Mühlheim Film & Filmgespräch Interkulturelle Woche 2019 in Das Schanz

23. September 2019 19:00h in Pfungstadt Film & Filmgespräch Interkulturelle Woche 2019 Kino Pfungstadt

24. September 2019 19:30h in Heidelberg Film & Filmgespräch Interkulturelle Woche 2019 Karlstorkino

25. September 2019 19:30h in Regensburg Film & Filmgespräch Interkulturelle Woche 2019, Filmgalerie – Kino im Leeren Beutel

26. September 2019 20:15h in Wiesbaden, Film & Filmgespräch Interkulturelle Woche 2019, Murnau-Filmtheater

27. September 2019 19:00h in Leipzig, Film & Filmgespräch Interkulturelle Woche 2019 Luru Kino in der Spinnerei

29. September 2019 17:00h in Ochsenfurt, mit dem Enheimer Runder Tisch Integration im Casablance Kino

More screenings are coming soon!

News

Yves’ Promise in Cameroon

20. November 2018

Catalogue of German Documentaries

8. October 2018

Yves’ Promise in German cinemas

14. May 2018

World Premiere in Amsterdam

19. October 2017

Team Premiere

31. July 2016

Soundmix

17. June 2016

Title tune

30. April 2016

All Posts

Director

Melanie Gärtner studied anthropology, literature an journalism in Frankfurt am Main and Berlin. Since 2010 she acts under the label of m-eilenweit as freelance filmmaker and author. One of her main topics is migration, especially from Africa.

Her first work, the documentary “The Land in Between”, has been honoured several times. In addition tot he film she released the book “Grenzen am Horizont”, reports about the protagonists’ backstories of her film. “Yves’ Promise” is her first full-length documentary.

Directors' note