Today we’re zooming in on Kærshovedgård, a prison-turned-deportation centre in Denmark. It is one of two deportation centres in the country used to house rejected asylum seekers who have not agreed to voluntary return, as well as persons with so-called ‘tolerated stay’ (tålt ophold) status. Many of them stay there for interminable periods of time. In this episode, FairPlanet's Nour Ghantous sat down with director Maria Colomer Canyelles, who gave us a glimpse behind the scenes of her documentary ”the Painter’s Room,” the first ever to be filmed inside a deportation centre. The film follows the stories of two detainees, Artin, a young Iranian bodybuilder, and Jahan, a Kurdish man who has recently discovered his love for painting. Despite their seemingly hopeless future, they find ways to bring hope to their lives and to the people around them. “I hope it contributes to removing fear from our conversation,” Colomer Canyelles told FairPlanet. “There is a lot of fear in regards to the people who live in Kærshovedgård. The neighbours are scared of them. A big part of Danish society is scared of them. All over Europe, I think we're scared of people who live in deportation centres. When you get to know who these people are, we remember that these people are humans with stories like ours, with families, with needs.” How can you take action? Here are some organisations to look into:

Kærshovedgård Stories on Instagram - A comic about Kærshovedgård by people on the inside and outside. Black Lives Matter Denmark on Instagram - Black Lives Matter in DK has been supporting people in the centre. Trampolin Huset on Instagram - Trampolin Huset supports asylum seekers and refugees in DK. Learn about Anowar’s case (in Danish) Proevesag Rohingya: Flygtningenævnet vurdere Anowar statsløs Fuldtidsjob egen lejlighed Kærshovedgaard: Mohammed Anowar fanget i systemet Beboer på Kærshovedgård: Systemet gør mig kriminel The Painter’s Room Directed by Maria Colomer Canyelles Produced by Boogaloo Films, GotFat Productions International sales MoreThan Films 2023 - Where to find us - FairPlanet https://www.fairplanet.org Instagram: / fairplanet_ Twitter: / fairplanet LinkedIn: / fairplanet