Almost daily, the news media report on a new refugee crisis or a tragic border crossing attempted by those fleeing desperate circumstances in their home countries for the promise of a better life elsewhere. Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen takes the measure of one such story in his remarkable new documentary “Flee”, which gives a blow-by-blow, first-hand account of a young Afghan refugee named Amin who faces a perilous journey before finally making it safely to Denmark.

Jonas and Amin became friends in high school, but it was not until years later that Jonas had even the slightest idea of all that had happened to Amin and his family. Why did Amin finally decide to tell his story? How did Jonas respect Amin’s desire to stay anonymous, while at the same time portraying his story not only accurately and completely, but also visually? How did a filmmaker who started out with an idea for a short film, eventually take on an incredibly ambitious, multi-layered animated feature? Recently, Mike and Ken had the opportunity to ask Jonas about his special relationship with Amin and delve into Jonas’ own creative odyssey. “Flee” captured the 2021 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and is now being heralded as a serious contender for this year’s Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

NEON releases the film in theaters starting on December 3rd.

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