CARGO

Directed by

Gizem Tataroglu

Canada

Migrants from different countries, fleeing war, political persecution, gender discrimination, and racism, urgently set out to escape to another country. They make an agreement with a human trafficker, who promises to take them illegally and immediately to another country. This meeting takes place in a deserted hangar, where there are massive cargo boxes.

The human trafficker cuts eye-level holes in the boxes with a knife and forces the migrants to carry these boxes on their backs. This is similar to the punishment in the Greek myth of Sisyphus, who was condemned to carry a boulder on his back. The migrants soon begin to carry the boxes, which they will later be trapped inside, and which may even become their graves. In this dystopian world, everything is dark and terrifying.
The human trafficker forces the migrants to hand over their valuable jewelry, such as bracelets and rings. He pushes and shoves them into the boxes. Through small holes at eye level in the boxes, the migrants manage to communicate with the outside world and realize the horrific trap they have fallen into. They have been caught in a trap after seeking freedom. This moment is expressed through dance and body language.

Trapped inside the boxes, the migrants helplessly and frantically observe their surroundings. The protagonist begins to remember their past: how they once had a beautiful life, lost their child in a war in their homeland, and felt hopeless at their grave. Each migrant embarked on this journey in search of a "better life" and freedom.

Throughout the process, their experiences are expressed artistically through dance. At the final stage of waiting, they all rebel and decide to tear open the boxes they are trapped in, fighting for their freedom. In their endless search for freedom, now they must rip apart these boxes to escape.