"Xavi Herrero creates an immersive and breathtaking journey through the desert, aboard an industrial train that travels across the sands of the border between Mauritania and Western Sahara.
Salka in No Man's Land... is pure and genuine immersion: into a landscape, a journey, and a state of mind. The infernal clatter of the train cars, the inhospitable yet haunting environment, and the combination of anonymous Sahrawi poems—recited by different voice-overs—with a percussive soundtrack that underscores the dystopian and sometimes almost dreamlike nature of what is being filmed, transforms this journey into a unique, beautiful, and unsettling experience."
"Salka in No Man's Land... is pure and genuine immersion: into a landscape, a journey, and a state of mind. The infernal clatter of the carriages, the inhospitable yet breathtaking environment, and the combination of anonymous Sahrawi poems—recited by different voice-overs—with a percussive soundtrack that underscores the dystopian and sometimes almost dreamlike nature of the scenes, make this journey a unique, beautiful, and unsettling experience."
"Salka in No Man's Land..."
Alfonso Rivera (Cineuropa-The Best of European Cinema)
"One might imagine traveling through the Sahara by train as a Zen journey. In some ways it is, but it is also a relentless and incessant assault on the body and senses... a constant elemental symphony of heat, wind, and noise." Alastair Gill
You fall, you die. This railway, which routinely transports passengers in a somewhat dangerous manner, has proven quite popular with the more daring exponents of extreme tourism. Calvin Sun
"No tickets, no reservations, no cash, no bookings: you're just supposed to hitchhike and hop on when it arrives!" Sun enthusiastically wrote on his popular blog, The Monsoon Diaries. "The train is all yours since nobody cares that you're here, but if you must explore, be aware that there are no barriers, brakes, or safety measures of any kind. You fall, you die, and the train keeps going."
Such stories are inspiring but, for most, more than a little overwhelming. The next best option is to experience the journey indirectly through the cinematic form of Salka In No Man’s Land. This is an intensely poetic, 67-minute sensory experience in a documentary by Catalan director Xavi Herrero, who is based in Ibiza (and directs its film festival).
Neil Young (The European Documentary Magazine)
The dystopian landscapes envisioned by Mad Max exist today, and they can be found in Mauritania. There, Salka decides to emigrate to Europe in search of a better future. Disguised as a boy, she must cross the entire Sahara Desert on the world’s longest train to reach the Atlantic coast. The solitary journey through the vast expanse of the desert and the relentless metallic clang of the train tracks make this trip a dreamlike and hypnotic odyssey.
Salka lives in one of the poorest countries in the world. Mauritania is isolated from the world, plagued by profound social inequalities. It is an arid land, devoid of hope for the vast majority of its population, where organized crime and smuggling operate with impunity, further highlighting the inequalities and lack of opportunities, especially for women. Director Xavi Herrero, who became the first Westerner to travel the SNIM train, known as the Desert Train, round trip, becomes a silent witness to Salka's 1,400km journey. His route, under temperatures that can reach up to 50°C, is fraught with danger; it skirts the so-called "no man's land," a conflict-ridden border region between Mauritania and Western Sahara, where incursions by the Moroccan army are constant.
Berlinale # European Film Market Screenings 2020
Visions du Réel # Media Library Selection 2020
Quinzaine des Realitzateurs Cannes # Shortlist 2020 (Canceled)
Candidatura Premi Amnistia Internacional Catalunya (AIC) 2020
Docs Barcelona # Official Selection # Whats the doc! 2020
Atlántida Film Fest # Official Selection # Muros y Fronteras 2020
Medimed-The Euro-Mediterranean Documentary Market # Videotheque Film Selection 2020
Vladivostok International Film Festival-Pacific Meridian # Official Selection # In Focus 2020
Festival Internacional de Cine por los DDHH (Colombia) # Official Selection 2020
Festival Internacional de Cine con Medios Alternativos (México) # Mejor Largometraje Documental Internacional 2020
Premios de Cine español Independiente Blogos de Oro 2020 # Candidaturas:Película-Dirección-Guión-BSO
Sofia Middle East & North Africa region FIlm Festival (Bulgaria) # Official Selection 2020
Proyección Centro Cultural MVA Málaga 2020
Sanfici Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente de Santander (Colombia) # Sección oficial largometrajes 2020
CASA Film Arts Festival (Segovia) # Película de clausura 2021
Global Migration Film Festival-OIM Ecuador-ONU # Official Selection 2021