Right to Visa

Aylin Öcalan received a grant for the development of the documentary Right to Visa. Obtaining a Schengen visa for international artists and performers from abroad is often accompanied by discrimination, active sabotage, racism, and above all, overwhelming bureaucracy. For years, artists from the Middle East, South America, and Africa have spoken out about these issues, yet the situation remains unchanged. Why is this happening? And who benefits from excluding these individuals? The documentary Right to Visa tells the story of three international artists from Morocco, Turkey, and Ghana who apply for Schengen visas in preparation for their European tours. Each of them faces the dreaded Visa Monster: an algorithm-driven system notorious for its discriminatory, opaque, and hyper-bureaucratic nature. The contrast between the glamorous life of an artist and the stark reality of contemporary racist migration policies unfolds like a battle between hope and despair.

Aylin is a researcher and documentary filmmaker. Earlier this year, she created the documentary Meer voor Meiden and contributed as a researcher to various projects on Turkish and Kurdish migration and 40 years of Dutch hip-hop. She draws her inspiration primarily from her immediate surroundings, daily encounters on the street, and the films she watches. With a background in political science, she takes a critical approach to issues of inequality and injustice both in the Netherlands and beyond.