4Ever

Arbessa is Vera’s best friend, but their friendship is being put to the test now that Arbessa and her family have been sent back to Kosovo. Vera tries to stay in touch by Skype, but she would much prefer to see her best friend in person. The fact that Arbessa is finding it very difficult in her new, completely unfamiliar home just makes their separation even harder to bear. We follow Vera in her new life without her BFF, both at school and at home. Communication with her friend is limited to superficial conversations by computer. Then Vera decides to bring Arbessa back to the Netherlands for a vacation. At first she tries in vain, as her friend's visa application is rejected on dubious grounds. But Vera won’t give up so easily, and she mobilizes her classmates to get the decision overturned. She even arranges a meeting with a representative of the Dutch Socialist Party to help get pity from the relevant State Secretary. The film demonstrates how deep the friendship between two young girls can be, while also revealing the disruptive and inhumane consequences of a strict asylum policy. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)