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Human Flow is a German documentary film co-produced created in 2017, and directed by Ai Weiwei about the current global refugee crisis. It was screened in the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival. Through the duration of the film, the viewer is taken to over 20 countries to make sense of the current refugee crisis. The film is shot using various technologies; such as drones, camera and Iphones.

Background
Ai explained that the film begun after he got his passport back from Chinese authorities, he went to the island of Lesbos, Greece to see how the refugees would come on the shore, while on vacation and began shooting footage on his Iphone. He said this experience inspired him to make a film about refugee flows.

Ai Wei Wei's statement for his film for the screening on La Biennale di Venezia was as follows, "Human Flow is a personal journey, an attempt to understand the conditions of humanity in our days. The film is made with deep belief in the value of human rights. In this time of uncertainty, we need more tolerance, compassion and trust for each other since we all are one. Otherwise, humanity will face an even bigger crisis. "

Ai notes that this film is extremely personal to him, as his past experiences of inhumane treatment after being forced out of his home in Beijing during China's Cultural Revolution. He goes on to say, his experiences helps him understand why he identifies with the refugees in the film, with the external forces they are often powerless to. Ai also explains the significance to his title, Human Flow and how it relates to flooding. One can either build a dam to stop the flood, which doesn't solve the issue entirely and could intensify the outcomes. Or one could find a path to let the flow continue. He relates dams to physical borders and walls and the later, is solving the issue and stem the source of the issue.

Reception
Human Flow received generally favorable reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 92%, based on 92 reviews, with an average score of 7.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Epic in scope yet clear-eyed and intimate, Human Flow offers a singularly expansive — and sobering — perspective on the global refugee crisis." On another review aggregator, Metacritic, the film received a score of 78 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

In Sight & Sound, Ben Nicholson provides a film review to Ai Wei Wei’s film. He credits Ai’s loose structure of the film upon which the viewer is taken to more than 20 countries to see the current global refugee crisis. The use of aerial shots was listed to be a common element in the film, by which drones were used to display entire cityscapes of destruction and vast oceans to be crossed. The film received positive response and the ability to make a piece with emotional and academic success.

The New York Times calls it a "strangely beautiful movie" and credits the film for focusing on individuality amidst the large masses of people in the film. Along with the comment on drone usage, to show the vastness and scale of our refugee current global crisis.

GQ states the film brings across a radical type of empathy to the viewer, with a focus on the human aspects of the film, such as a man who fled from his home, walking to a make-shift graveyard, where the bodies of his loved ones were buried; he started with 12; they continued on with 15 people. The viewer being caught in this visceral moment of a man in grief. GQ notes the film's ability to have the camera constantly lingering in times of sadness, to create a forceful humanization.

The Washington Post calls Human Flow "pungent conceptually and aesthetically". The Post notes that perhaps the audience's uncertainty of what camp they are lead to is perhaps Ai's point, that this does not matter. Overall, the post gave Ai a ranking of 3/4 stars.

The film had received such high praise that it had been selected from a group of 170 documentaries for the shortlist for the Oscars where it was within the top 15.

Box Office
On the opening weekend in the United States, Human Flow received $45,677; and grossed a total of $527,845, in USA as of 21 December 2017 according to IMDB.

Key themes
Human flow brings to light the obvious gravity of the current global refugee crisis, the film uses interviews from experts and refugees alike. The film displays various refugees in times of crisis; whereby refugee flows can be classified into four categories; interstate war, ethnic conflict, non-ethnic conflict and flight from repression. The film reflects upon the sheer volume of refugees living in our current globe today. The film reflects upon individuals who are forced to migrate and those who are internally displaced, forced to flee from their homes but remain within the territory of their own country

The film also has the ability to reflect and question the current global response to the refugee crisis. The film sheds light to a shared responsibility whereby nations close in proximity to areas with many refugees require help for accommodation; however, many richer nations are hesitant to provide aid Global responses in relation to border closings such as the Macedonian border and the effects on refugees when they are limited to residing in Greece and those who became stuck in the Idomeni border camp. The film draws upon issues within refugee camps across the world, the film shows the vast numbers of individuals residing in camps such as Calais, often called "The New Jungle" and Dadabb, of Northeast Kenya; with many having minimal basic human rights and resources

Ai's constant focus relates to refugees individual human rights. Ai has multiple individuals seen crying on camera, sharing their grief and experiences from their dangerous voyages, their fears and the deaths of their loved ones. The film looks at various conventions set to protect refugees all the while, actual aid, polices and strategies don't correspond to obligations such as the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees

Cast
Throughout the film the viewer is able to come into contact with a multitude of refugees and their individual experiences. Ai was also able to include various experts; such as Princess Dana Firas of Jordan, who was quoted speaking about the current refugee crisis and Jordan's response; “The more immune you are to people’s suffering, that’s very dangerous. “It’s critical for us to maintain this humanity.” He also interviews Maha Yahya, from the Carnegie Middle East Center, who goes on to speak about radicalization affects on vulnerable youth. The use of other experts in the film is extensive for various NGOs and aid for refugees. The film also comes into contact with members of the United Nations, such as Boris Cheshirkov, who is a UNHCR communications officer and Filippo Grandi who is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Wella Koyou who is the deputy representative of UNHCR Kenya, Martin Din Kajdomcaj who is the senior operation coordinator of UNHCR Pakistan and Maya Ameratunga for UNHCR Afghanistan. Ai also introduces Dr. Cem Terzi in Turkey, who works for the Association of Bridging Peoples. The film also includes Druze leader, Walid Joumblatt, Ioannis Mouzalas who is the migration minster in Greece. The film is also able to include various news sources juxtaposed with shots of the current crisis. Ai's artistic content includes various poets from all around the world throughout the film to make sense of the crisis.

Purpose
The film is a direct call to action showing the gravity and scale of the refugee crisis. The EU requires responses to improve and enforce its charter on refugees. Ai's efforts to expand the message have intensified with the creation of screening parties; Canada, TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) held a screening an panel discussion with representatives from Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), bringing attention of the crisis through film to academic forefront and to the general public. The film also touches upon the response by the United Nations, whereby the official refugee definition is given in the fil and refugees are mainly understood by being forced out of their homeland mainly due to violent conflict and persecution. This definition is often challenged, as when it was created in the 1951 Geneva Convention, it wasn't specifically meant for global mass migration. The film brings the audience's understanding to the fact that refugees are increasing more now than since World War Two.

Ai's outspoken activism and artistic purpose constantly challenges issues in regards to freedom and human rights Ai's social commentaries on the refugee crisis relate to his personal life, as he was forced out of Beijing with his family, as a young child during China's Cultural Revolution. He is open about his dehumanizing experience of living in a Chinese camp with terrible conditions His art has often been at the forefront in bringing about awareness to the refugee crisis, he was quoted explaining that Human Flow attempts to show the viewer the similarities between individuals "Understanding of humanity is above all. It's about, We're all the same. If someone being hurt, we are being hurt. So that kind of ideology has to be shared only by doing that have we had compassion for other people. We lost our home too. So that kind of ideology has to be shared only by doing so that have we have compassion for other people. We can tolerate something we'd normally think is so so foreign and so different. Someone lost their education, you feel, Oh, that could be my son. Some women have no place to deliver their children, you will say, That could be my mom or my wife. So those things we have to sounds very simple but we have to repeatedly talk about that. That makes us better as a society". Ai's efforts have gone on to explain that this issue would sooner be solved when we all realize this crisis is "about all of us".