LA FORTERESSE

At the Registration Centre in Vallorbe, in the Swiss canton of Vaud, documentarist Fernand Melgar follows asylum-seekers throughout the process, limited to sixty days, that will result in their being granted refugee status, or not.
«On September 24, 2006, the results were clear-cut: A large majority of the Swiss (68 percent) said yes to toughening the laws dealing with foreigners and asylum seekers. A TV news presenter summarised the main changes: Asylum seekers would be deprived of social services; two years prison for those refused entry who stay illegally, from age 15; anyone requesting asylum without identity papers would be turned back within 48 hours; random stop and search powers. I wanted to understand what was fuelling this fear of the other in this country, what was driving us to lock the gates and transform this land of asylum into an impregnable fortress.»