MATTHEW CASSEL
[journalist and documentary filmmaker]
"THE MISSING" (2019)
Every year, a growing number of people around the world leave their home countries in search of safety and a better life. The routes people take are often dangerous and uncertain, and stories of migrants going missing either during transit or once they reach their destination countries are widespread. For every missing person, there is a family left wondering whether their loved one survived the perilous journey.
The International Committee of the Red Cross and NBC Left Field teamed up with filmmaker Matthew Cassel to document the stories of five missing people from five different communities, across three different continents. These videos seek to piece together each missing person’s story through the words of loved ones left behind.
Watch the series' trailer and all five films below >>>
From the International Committee of the Red Cross:
The five-episode series, entitled, The Missing, premieres this week. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Matthew Cassel, the films were shot in five countries - Honduras, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Senegal, and Zimbabwe – and focus on the shattered lives of those left behind.
"Migration is one of the most important issues of our time, and I hope to show that through personal stories of those who've been affected most: families of the missing," said Cassel.
An unknown number of people go missing along migration routes year after year, with their locations never traced and their bodies never found. Families are left in the despair of not knowing the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones. These disappearances constitute one of the world's most complex and underreported humanitarian challenges.
"The ICRC is currently searching for 100,000 missing persons, but that's a fraction of the people missing worldwide," said Florence Anselmo, the Head of Central Tracing Agency. "They come from all over the world, some disappeared during a war, while others have gone missing along migration routes in search of a better or safer future."
"The Missing" reveals the heartbreaking stories of people desperate for answers. From a family in Beirut who found tragedy on the waters of the Aegean Sea, to a mother in rural Zimbabwe whose daughter left seeking a better life in South Africa, and was never heard from again. The five stories are unique, but the pain of losing a child, a sibling, a friend is universal.
MORE ON "THE MISSING"
ICRC's Press Release on "The Missing"
"THE MISSING" CREDITS
Directed / Cinematographer / Producer:
Matthew Cassel
Editor: Olivia Dehez
Series Producer: Ariel Rubin
Special thanks to the families of the missing and to ICRC employees in each location.