Elles, les (in)visibles

Documentary Film on Undocumented Women in Geneva

They are the ones who clean our offices, our homes, our public spaces, the ones who care for our children while we build our careers, the ones who care for our elderly, the ones who left everything behind to give their children a new life, the ones whose families stayed behind, the ones who keep the global economy going. Thousands live in Geneva. And yet they are undocumented and remain invisible. Who are they? What is their lived experience? And how do they understand integration in Switzerland? The lack of answers to these questions is not only an indication of their invisibility, but also of the importance of re-humanising the collective imaginary constructed about undocumented migrants in Geneva. This documentary is a call to open our eyes to the invisible that surrounds us in order to rethink the basis of migration.

A film to visibilise the invisible

In Geneva, there are an estimated 13,000 undocumented migrants, they live hidden, in the insecurity of deportation, vulnerable to situations of exploitation and abuse.

This documentary film will not only allow the voices of those who remain silent and invisible to be heard, but it will also hopefully open a discussion about migration, integration, and the tools put in place such as the Operation Papyrus.


This film attempts to be part of a broader critical discussion on the migration of women, domestic and care work, and their conditions of «integration».

This documentary is co-produced by the Geneva International Oriental Film Festival, FIFOG (fifog.com). If we find the necessary funds to direct and produce this project, it will be presented at the FIFOG festival in June 2021.

To illustrate the stories of these women, I am also collaborating with a HEAD (Geneva) artist, Marie Lavis, illustrator and animator, who will create animated film sequences to tell with a unique sensitivity and power, some of the stories, the dreams, the fears, but above all the courage they have had to lead this journey.

Thanks to you, I work with a production and post-production team!

This period of crisis for COVID is extremely difficult for all of us, but the world of arts and culture particularly needs your support!

By supporting this project, you are supporting a great team of young professionals working on this project. You support not only Swiss culture, but artists all over the world. Dorian Voos, a composer and sound designer in Toronto, Canada, and Moïse Cortat, composer and sound engineer in Switzerland, for the soundtrack composition and the final sound mixing. Marie Lavis, an animation artist and illustrator from la HEAD Geneva based in London for the animated film, and Luc Halhoute, chief operator and camera operator based in France. In addition, we will be able to rent video equipment for the shootings, and also broadcast the project to a wider audience once completed.

The film will be structured around the journey and stories of the 4 participants. But your support will also enable the project to continue in greater depth and to have interviews with people from the Geneva SIT Trade Union, with associations working with migrants and the Operation Papyrus, with Geneva politicians and with other people involved in Swiss migration.

This project is so close to our hearts and we sincerely hope to share these incredibly important stories with you!