The Interview

In June 2015, when hundreds of thousands traveled through the Balkans on their way to Western Europe, Hungary started with the construction of a border fence. The influx of asylum seekers stopped, but thousands were stuck on the Serbian side of the EU-border. Even today. To enter the European Union, the asylum seekers must first pass through the transit zone of Röszke, a hidden detention center run by the Hungarian government, surrounded by barbed wire and high fences. The procedure can take up to a year and is designed to intimidate and discourage people.

Migration is a hot topic. Several (VR) documentaries have been made on the subject. These usually show the perspective of the asylum seekers. For The Interview, I want to use the compelling nature of VR to make you think about the subject from a completely different perspective: what would it be like to be an immigration officer?

The Interview puts you in the shoes of a migration officer. It is your first day on the job and in one of the blue containers in Röszke you wait to interview asylum seekers. It is up to you to decide whether the asylum seeker can stay or should be sent back. Your decision will have a huge impact on the future of this person.

I want to recreate the environment of the transit zone in 3D. We film real asylum seekers who have already been through the asylum procedure in 3D. This 3D video is integrated within the 3D environment. VR allows you to walk around the Röszke site and to come face to face with real asylum seekers.

The Interview wants you to experience migration from a different perspective. How can that experience influence your way of thinking? As an immigration officer you not only represent the system, but all of us.