by Karim Aïnouz
Tempelhof Airport in Berlin stands as a monument to the self-promotion of the Nazis, however, also became a symbol of freedom with the 1948/49 airlift. Since the autumn of 2015, the facility has been used as accommodation for refugees. Syrian Ibrahim and Iraqi Qutaiba, along with 2000 other refugees, dream of finally arriving somewhere. Between German lessons, medical checks and a heap of bureaucracy, they prepare for an uncertain future full of hope. Director Karim Aïnouz accompanied the pair over the period of one year, capturing their journey in images of formal stringency and subtle symbolism. ZENTRALFLUGHAFEN – THF is the portrait of a city within a city – and of a Europe caught between utopia and crisis.