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12 year-old Isra’a & her family feature in the documentary<\/p><\/div>\n
Exodus: Our Journey to Europe<\/a> was produced in partnership with The Open University, with three leading OU academics acting as consultants on the programme.\u00a0 Much of the footage was shot over the course of a year by the refugees themselves.\u00a0 Armed with smartphones, they were able to capture intimate moments as they prepared for a dangerous sea crossing in a dinghy, as well as other challenges as they attempt to travel into Europe.<\/p>\n The first episode has been warmly received by critics, with The Guardian<\/a> calling it \u201cambitious, necessary, and devastating documentary-making.\u201d<\/p>\n The Daily Telegraph<\/a> labelled it \u201can astonishingly intimate, and at times palpably scary, portrait of desperation.\u201d\u00a0 Its review went on to describe some of the more surprising insights offered by the documentary:<\/p>\n None of this was easy viewing. But it was often surprising. Isra\u2019a and her family lived not in a camp but an apartment in Izmir. Smart phones were not luxuries but essential tools for route finding, weather forecasting, organising, meeting.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The importance of mobile phones to refugees has been studied extensively by Professor Marie Gillespie<\/a>, one of the OU academics who worked with producers to offer guidance and expertise.<\/p>\n Viewers also took to social media to express their views.\u00a0 Former BBC newsreader Alice Arnold tweeted:<\/p>\n #Exodus<\/a> is the most extraordinary television..PLEASE PLEASE watch it and spread the word\u2026so important to see these stories\u2026<\/p>\n — Alice Arnold\ud83d\udc99 (@alicearnold1) July 11, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u201cMost extraordinary television\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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