Electronic Curtain

Each year millions of poor people try to enter Europe and the U.S illegally. This documentary focuses on the German-Polish border, which is one of the worlds hottest spots for human trafficking. The film follows Nicu, a young unemployed Romanian worker, on his journey through Ukraine and Poland to the West German border, where he will attempt to cross illegally.

Controversy

The entry of Romania and Bulgaria, expected in 2007, will complete the fifth enlargement of the EU, which started in May 2004. Are these countries ready for admission? Both Romania and Bulgaria still face high levels of corruption, crime and unemployment. Furthermore, food safety, freedom and security need to be improved. Yet, the EU decided it is easier to tackle these problems after these countries join the Union rather than before.

Human Interest

In Electronic Curtain a discussion of new surveillance systems used by immigration officials is juxtaposed with the personal experience of Nicu, a young unemployed Rumanian worker. While proponents of strict immigration control extol the necessity and effectiveness of the new technology, Nicu and his friends complain about the difficulty of living in post-Communist Romania, where the transition to a free-market society is slow and painful.

Scenes

Fall of the Berlin Wall, including speech German minister of interior Manfred Kanther
Video images of the fall of the Berlin wall in 1998, including speech of the West-german Minister of interior Manfred Kanther. Manfred Kanther (b. May 26, 1939 in Schweidnitz, Silesia) is a German conservative politician and was Minister of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1993 to 1998. He has been a member of the CDU (since 1958).
Interview part 1 Jonas Widgren, director of Eastern Europe Migration Advice Bureau: the travelling route rom Romania
Widgren points out how the travelling route of illegal migrants from Romania to the EU has changed due to political developments
German police on the lookout for illegal immigrants at the German-Polish border
The German police is using highly advanced technological equipment in order to locate and arrest illegal immigrants trying to cross the border.
Interview part 2 Jonas Widgren: visiting the Ukrainian border
Widgren visits the Ukrainian border which has been under pressure because of the illegal migration travelling through the Ukraine to Poland, in order to enter Europe.
German police tracking down people near the German-Polish border
The commander of the German border police states that the border is a security filter against criminality, for Germany but also for all of Europe. This clip also shows how the police track down a Romanian person near the border
Interview part 3 Jonas Widgren: borders as sorting mechanism
borders are being used by countries to sort out what kind of people they want to include or exclude. In this perspective, boundaries are a sorting mechanism according to Widgren
Smuggling people over the border from Poland to Germany. Comments by smugglers, police and Jonas Widgren
The smugglers state that smuggling is a difficult job, best done by professionals. German border police know that smugglers possess advanced technological equipment to avoid the police. Widgren mentions the vast amount of money involved with the smuggling scene.
Interview part 4 Jonas Widgren: European border control vs. U.S.A border control
Widgren points out the difference between the European border control and the border control of the U.S.A. The scene also involves a clip about the new border surveillance at the U.S.A-Mexican border.
Nicu the Romanian man approaches the German border together with a smuggler
In Poland, the Romanian man called Nicu pays a smuggler who claims to be a professional to drive him to the German border. He has to cross the river the Neisse by himself.
Interview part 5 Jonas Widgren: legalizing migration
Widgren makes a case for legalization of migration to Europe, in order to make migration more orderly and to fight the illegal positions of migrants.