TO A LAND UNKNOWN is a drama movie from 2024 that was directed and co-written by Mahdi Fleifel. Fleifel’s movies often mix realistic and honest, human stories. The movie is about two Palestinian refugees living on the edges of Athens, Greece. Mahmood Bakri plays Chatila and Aram Sabbah plays Reda. Their simple but hard goal is to get enough money to buy fake passports and run away to Germany. But the journey gets darker as they try to stay alive—and maybe even dream—in a system that doesn’t allow it. This leads them to crime, drug use, and smuggling.
Despite its fictional narrative, TO A LAND UNKNOWN is rooted deeply in the real-life experiences of Palestinian refugees. Director Mahdi Fleifel drew direct inspiration from stories he encountered while following refugees in Athens. One of them, he recalls, crossed into Macedonia with €20,000 after leaving five bound men in his Athens flat—an anecdote that partly informed the film’s gripping plot. So while the story itself is not a direct retelling of a single true account, its foundation is built on the harsh realities of displaced lives across Europe, making it a powerful and semi-fictional reflection of truth.
WHERE WAS TO A LAND UNKNOWN FILMED?
Though exact shooting dates are not publicly detailed, production on TO A LAND UNKNOWN took place primarily in 2024, with scenes shot in Athens, Greece. The film had a remarkably fast turnaround: filming reportedly began just a month after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and was completed in time for its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024. This rapid production schedule mirrors the urgency and volatility of the refugee crisis that the film portrays.
ATHENS, GREECE
Athens is the main setting of the movie, but not the polished, picture-postcard version that tourists usually think of. The movie was shot in less-than-glamorous parts of the Greek capital, including sketchy alleys, run-down squats, buildings covered in graffiti—and forgotten spots far from the Acropolis. In fact, the film’s characters themselves have little interest in the city’s famed monuments; in one telling moment, young Malik (played by Mohammad Alsurafa) casually remarks that he sees the Acropolis every day but doesn’t care, because his life hangs in the balance.
The use of 16mm film, captured by cinematographer Thodoris Mihopoulos, gives these Athens locations a raw, textured aesthetic. Every crack in the pavement and shadow in the alley contributes to the film’s atmosphere of dislocation and despair. Rather than dress the city up, Fleifel uses its real conditions as a backdrop for survival—where dreams of freedom clash with the reality of borders, bureaucracy, and addiction.
GRAFFITI SQUAT: THE CORE SETTING OF TO A LAND UNKNOWN
One important place shown is a squat with graffiti that migrants share with each other. This setting is where a lot of the action takes place and shows how the main characters’ lives are unstable and full of ups and downs. Some of the worst parts of their lives happen there, too, like drug use, sex work, and making up schemes to make money. A grainy, documentary-like texture is added to the images by the cinematography, which makes the places feel more real and unfiltered.
Scenes of parks and streets scattered around Athens also play an important role. They offer temporary refuge, but they’re also spaces of vulnerability. Reda’s sex work takes place in a public park, while their schemes often involve chasing or following strangers through unfamiliar neighborhoods. These locations capture the essence of being trapped in a city without belonging—a limbo both physical and psychological.
While Athens serves as the film’s main base, TO A LAND UNKNOWN also had production ties to the United Kingdom, Palestine, France, the Netherlands, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, as part of its co-production framework. However, these locations were involved more in logistical, financial, and development aspects rather than on-location shooting. The visual and narrative heart of the film remains firmly planted in Athens.
In addition to Greece, the emotional setting of the film always returns to Lebanon, where Chatila’s wife and son are stranded in a refugee camp. While the camp itself isn’t depicted on-screen, its emotional presence looms large. Fleifel’s storytelling succeeds in anchoring viewers to a place they don’t see—just as the characters are tethered to a home they can’t return to.
The film’s production, which was accomplished under tight conditions and across sensitive political timelines, also reflects the same urgency felt by its characters. Shooting in the wake of global crises, while maintaining a focus on authenticity, adds another layer of intensity to the project.
Ultimately, TO A LAND UNKNOWN is a film that uses real streets, real textures, and real despair to build a fictional world that feels disturbingly accurate. By filming in unfiltered areas of Athens and avoiding glossy cinematic techniques, Fleifel captures a side of Europe often ignored: one where hopes are fragile and survival is everything.
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