Prominent Italian actors and
film directors are set to take part in a "barefoot" march in
Venice on Friday to demand dignified treatment for the thousands
of refugees reaching Europe's shores.
Actor Alessandro Gassmann is among those expected to attend
in Venice while other similar events are planned around the
country.
"Everyone can play their part, every little helps to ask
for a united Europe and shared regulation, otherwise what do we
have in common apart from the euro?," Gassmann said in an
interview with ANSA.
He said he believed the photo of 3-year-old Alan Kurdi's
lifeless body on a Turkish beach had changed perceptions and
made Europeans realise they needed to help migrants fleeing
conflict in Syria.
"The child of Kobane that appears to be sleeping like our
children but instead is dead, that is the photo that has woken
us up," he said.
Gassmann, a goodwill ambassador for the UN's refugee
agency, is attending the 72nd Venice film festival where he is
presenting "Torn", his documentary about his visits to refugee
camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
The documentary is also set to be broadcast on Sky Arte on
Sept. 11 at 21.15.
"I went looking for artists, musicians, actors and
filmmakers who told me about what was happening and their
torment," said Gassmann, adding that he had aimed to help
viewers understand what sort of people the refugees are and show
that they do not have to be afraid of them.
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