When the idea for Refugee Roads was born in late summer 2015, our goal was to better understand the impact of an increasing number of asylum seekers arriving in Europe. Like many of our fellow students at the time, we quickly realised that these events were set to have a lasting effect, not only on the lives of those fleeing across Europe but also on the European project itself. At a moment that stirred controversy around European values and reshuffled political agendas, we turned to social media and various news outlets for information, hoping this would help us to calibrate our position in these difficult debates. But after being exposed to countless facts and figures that seemed too filtered, we were left feeling rather dissatisfied. We therefore decided to pursue a more personal and hands-on approach by listening to the on-the-ground experiences from the ‘refugee road’— not only those of asylum seekers themselves but also of local communities, migration experts, civil society representatives, caseworkers, political advisors, and volunteers. 

Over the course of the next year, our simple idea to ‘listen to the experiences from the refugee road’ developed into a much larger project than originally intended. We soon added filming, blogging, conducting interviews, fundraising, and of course, a lot of cycling to our to-do list. We came to realise that it would not be enough to undergo these efforts just to educate ourselves, but also to use this opportunity to raise public awareness with the resources available to us. Cycling would play an important role in this endeavour, as it would allow us to better capture and understand the scope of our journey: instead of using our German passport and simply travelling from point A to point B, we wanted to capture the numerous and often lesser-known stories that lie in-between these points. Eventually, on 7 June 2016, we started cycling from the Peace Palace in The Hague. And yet, despite all the plans we had made, we soon felt extremely unprepared for the geographic and mental boundaries ahead of us.

And this is precisely what we want this project to convey to our audiences: we admittedly miscalculated many steps during our first days and even weeks of cycling across Europe, but our learning curve was all the more steep. Through Refugee Roads we hope to take you on the same ride. Doing so, we do not intend to expose viewers to non-stop frustration and sensational events (which we certainly have enough material for), but to  move beyond this lens to simply represent the everyday experiences we have made along the way. Should a documentary of this nature be entertaining? Probably not, but it should not leave the viewer feeling paralysed either. 

And with that in mind, we invite you to delve into the events of 2016 and 2019 through an accessible and digestible format. We believe it is our honest and organic approach, as well as our learning-by-doing attitude that distinguishes this road documentary from other formats. The novel transmedia approach further allows you to engage and interact with our documentary material - ranging from audio diaries and travel blogs to additional film material. As such, Refugee Roads  provides a fresh space for creating a more balanced narrative on migration- and refugee-related issues in the future.

When two students talk about a bicycle trip from the Netherlands to Greece, we would normally first think of a backpacker adventure across Europe. But when Timo and Florian told us about their extraordinary journey through the refugee camps along the Balkan route, it quickly became clear to us that their 80 hours of footage do not focus on their adventures, but instead on their personal encounters and interactions with the various people they met along the way.

The material mainly lets the fleeing people speak for themselves: they tell of their experiences, why they left their homeland and what happened to them during the arduous journey and in the camps themselves. This creates an impressive and intimate picture of people whose despair drives them to Europe – regardless of the dangers and often uncertain outcome. Europeans who are directly or indirectly affected by the influx of refugees also have their say. Not only voluntary helpers and aid organisations, but also opponents of immigration speak – citizens who feel threatened by refugees in their own lives and therefore reject the ‘welcome culture’.

The path of the two protagonists serves as a red thread along the way. We can accompany Timo and Florian as they grow through their journey. We track how their initial, unbiased enthusiasm turns into a well-founded and realistic perspective on the subject. The constantly moving camera creates a feeling of actual presence. The unpolished view is a unique selling point of this project due to its point-of-view cinematography; its raw images and authentic stories. 

Between profound, insightful and moving observations and encounters, we also find moments marked by humour and cheerfulness – necessary ways to compensate for the challenges that arise when undertaking such a journey. The way Refugee Roads provides access to gaining a better understanding of refugee issues is unique in this form.

One question may arise at this point: Why is such a project still relevant today? 

Even though the year 2016 may feel far away, the urgency of the topic remains unchanged. When Timo and Florian went back in Spring 2019, they could see that, not only thousands of people are fleeing, many of them are also still stuck in precarious circumstances in overcrowded camps in the Balkans. However, the interest of most media outlets has declined and public interest has noticeably dropped, although the repercussions of the so-called ‘refugee crisis’ will continue to echo through Germany and Europe for a long time to come.

We also aim to align Refugee Roads with current affairs by addressing key political changes, that took place since Timo and Florian first set out on their bikes - be it Brexit, governmental changes in Italy, the anti-immigration rhetoric in Hungary or the power struggles in the German Bundestag. Refugee Roads takes us back to the birth of these urgent debates that continue to challenge Europe's identity and solidarity today.