Private Project

Dangerous Crossings - The Making of a Campaign

“Dangerous Crossings” is part of a major campaign by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to spread awareness about the dangers of crossing to war-stricken Yemen through the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea from Africa, highlighting the horrendous conditions and rising risks in Yemen.


The music is arranged by acclaimed Hollywood producer George Acogny and the video is directed by Egyptian film director Amr Salama. Aaarmaanta’s song “Tahriib” sowed the seed for the creation of “Dangerous Crossings”, with the Somali lyrics forming the basis of the chorus. The song marks the launch of the UNHCR Dangerous Crossings campaign and intends to send a key message – to make people think very carefully before deciding to cross to Yemen. 


Prominent artists featuring include – Maryam Mursal and Aarmaanta from Somalia, Yeshie Demalash, Dawit Nega and Tadele Roba from Ethiopia, and Hany Adel from Egypt.

"Dangerous Crossings - The Making of a Campaign" is a compilation of the five Behind the Scenes videos intended for distribution on social media, which reveal the writing, rehearsing, recording and filming process of creating an international humanitarian campaign.

  • Ragnhild Ek - UNHCR
    Executive Producer
  • Marco Orsini - IEFTA
    Executive Producer
  • George Acogny
    Music Producer
  • Ismail Elmokadem
    Director (Behind the Scenes)
  • Amr Salama
    Music Video Director
  • Lizzy Lambley
    Post Production Supervisor
  • Vincent Cattaneo
    DOP/Editor
  • Tarik Argaz
    Second Unit Camera
  • Abdallah Ahmed
    Sound Engineer
  • Wolfgang Aichholz
    Sound Engineer
  • Wolfgang Aichholz
    Sound Engineer
  • Kareem Captam
    Sound Engineer
  • Emad Awad
    Production Assistant
  • Maryam Mursal
    Key Cast
  • Hany Adel
    Key Cast
  • Dawit Nega Tesfay
    Key Cast
  • Yeshi Demelash
    Key Cast
  • Tadele Roba
    Key Cast
  • AarMaanta
    Key Cast
  • Lacey Da Costa
    Production Coordinator
  • Jessica Gulhane (UNHCR)
    Production Coordinator
  • Yahia Khelidy (UNHCR)
    Production Coordinator
  • Jerome Seregnhi
    Project Managers and Advisors
  • Areti Sianni
    Project Managers and Advisors
  • Melita Sunjic
    Project Managers and Advisors
  • Hossam Badra
    Location Manager
  • Adam Sabee
    Font Design
  • Ossama El Bendary
    Production Editors
  • Nada Tabie
    Production Editors
  • Baher Rasheed
    Production Editors
  • Hassan Ashoor
    Production Editors
  • Mohab Hussein
    Musicians
  • Mizo Gamal
    Musicians
  • Ousso Lofty
    Musicians
  • Hesham Galal
    Musicians
  • Ashraf Awad
    Musicians
  • Abd El Azim
    Musicians
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Other
  • Genres:
    drama, foreign, African, Musical
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes 8 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 12, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    100,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Egypt
  • Country of Filming:
    Egypt, Ethiopia, United Kingdom
  • Language:
    Amharic, Arabic, English, Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cannes Film Festival
    Cannes
    France
    May 22, 2017
  • Religion Today Film Festival
    Trento
    Italy
    October 18, 2017
  • Popoli e Religioni Film Festival
    Terni
    Italy
    November 18, 2017
  • Dhaka International Film Festival
    Dhaka
    Bangladesh
    January 15, 2018
Director