The Boat That Brought Me —
A collaboration between Akinola Davies Jr & Neila Czermak

Part of The New European Songbook, supported by the BBC in the UK, Matthew Herbert composed 'The Boat That Brought Me' in collaboration with  Iranian fusion musician Arian Sadr and singer Heidi Vogel. Based on the eponym poem of Azita Ghahreman, the track represents the journey of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers across national borders.

The track and its meaning made the video concept obvious. Akin met Neila Czermak and fell in love with her Tarot cards series, wishing to bring the illustrations in a film setting. These images are her interpretation of the complex and changing currents of migration and her poetic depiction of life as second generation migrant to France. The universal underlying theme addresses the nuances of the cultural melting-pot. It represents the important aspects of life’s beauty, tensions and trying to find your space within new settings – and in more spiritual terms, predicting a different future.