Three-Day Event in Mytilene: “Lesvos 2015 – 10 Years Later” 18–20 October 2025
18–20 October 2025 | Neoclassical House, 17 James Aristarchou Street, Mytilene
“It is still difficult for me to talk about that period. You know, memory… I left it all behind. And yesterday, when I read your questions about Lesvos in 2015, they simply reminded me that it’s all still there. Like a shadow I try to ignore.”
Mohammed
a refugee from Somalia, arrived in Mytilene in August 2015
The summer of 2015 went down in history as a summer of refuge and solidarity. Thousands of refugees were arriving daily on Lesvos, risking their lives. The island’s communities mobilised, locals opened their homes and hearts to help in any way they could, and thousands of solidarity activists arrived from all over the world to offer support. It was a year filled with pain and loss, but also with strength, hope, and acts of humanity that must not and cannot be forgotten.
Ten years later, Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), with the support of the PRO ASYL Foundation, is organising the three-day event “Lesvos 2015 – 10 Years Later” in Mytilene, on 18, 19 and 20 October.
Photography and Testimonials Exhibition
“People did what they knew how to do. They helped. We did what anyone would do.”
Τζώρτζια,
Georgia, Mytilene resident
“Are you and your services ordering me not to go near a boat if I see it sinking? And if you are not nearby, will you let people drown? Tell your boss that if I find a boat and there is no coast guard nearby to call, I will help. And you can do as you please.”
Thanasis,
fishing boat captain in Mytilene
The central exhibition is hosted in the neoclassical house at 17 James Aristarchou Street and includes:
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Photographs, collected through an open call to people who lived through the events – refugees, locals, and solidarity activists.
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Testimonials from 30 individuals – refugees, locals, and activists – who, in interviews conducted with us over the past months, shared images, stories, personal experiences, and the conclusions they drew from that time.
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Music, a collective playlist of songs chosen by the interview participants as personal symbols of memory from that period.
The exhibition will be open on Saturday, 18 October, from 17:00 to 22:00, on Sunday, 19 October, from 15:00 to 18:00, and on Monday 20 October, from 17:00 to 20:00, at 17 James Aristarchou Street.
Discussion
On Saturday, 18 October, at 19:00, in the same building, there will be a discussion event with the participation of refugees, locals, and solidarity activists who shared their experiences through the interviews.
Film Screening
On Sunday, 19 October, at 18:30, at Cine Arion in Mytilene, there will be a screening of the film “I Will Cross Tomorrow” by the renowned Iranian director Sepideh Farsi. The film explores the story of a Syrian refugee who arrives in Lesvos in 2015, and a large part of it was shot on the island. It will be screened with Greek and English subtitles, and the film will be followed by a discussion with the film’s actor, Vassilis Koukalani.
Info about the movie
“I Will Cross Tomorrow” by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi | Sunday, October 19, 2025, at 18:00
On Sunday, 19 October, the film “I Will Cross Tomorrow” by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi will be screened at Cine Arion at 18:00, as part of the three-day event organised by Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) in Mytilene, “Lesvos 2015 – 10 Years Later.”
The film tells the story of the meeting between Yussof, a Syrian refugee who flees his homeland because he refuses to become a killer in civil-war-torn Syria, and Maria, a Greek police officer who lives in Athens and is transferred to Lesvos during a difficult period in her life. Yussof is forced to steer the refugee boat as he doesn’t have the money to pay the smugglers in Turkey. When he arrives on Lesvos, he is accused of smuggling. While on Lesvos, he learns that all his family members were killed in a bombing. Maria and Yussof meet inside the Kara Tepe refugee camp. Their brief but intense relationship will shape the way they perceive the world.
The film explores themes of loss, trauma, the living conditions of refugees in 2015, the economic and social situation during the Greek financial crisis, corruption, informal forced returns (pushbacks) in the Aegean, and the need for safety and connection. The film had its world premiere at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. A large part of it was shot on Lesvos.
The film will be screened with Greek and English subtitles.
Duration: 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Following the film, there will be a discussion with its actor, Vassilis Koukalani.
A Few Words About the Director Sepideh Farsi
Director Sepideh Farsi was born in Iran. In 1984, she immigrated to Paris to pursue her studies. Since 2009, she has been unable to return to Iran due to the criticism she expresses through her films and her activist work. All of her works are banned in Iran. Her latest film is the documentary ‘Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk’, which was screened this year in the ACID parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival. The protagonist of this documentary, the Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli strike on her home in Gaza, along with 10 members of her family, the day after the film’s selection for Cannes was announced.
“For me, 2015 was a landmark year, a change in my worldview. If I were to set a timeline, I was born in 1982, I became an adult in 2000, and in 2015 my life’s worldview changed, how I move as a person, what priorities I set. The love for people, human relationships, was placed above everything else.”
Eleni,
Mytilene resident
2015 taught us a tremendous lesson in solidarity and human strength. At the same time, it highlighted in the most intense way the absence of the state and the European Union and, in contrast to this, the mutual aid between refugees and locals and the enormous mobilisation of the local community, Greece, and the world. This three-day event aims to be a journey of memory, image, and oral history. It seeks to honour all those who were in Lesvos then, to give space to the different voices and feelings of joy, pain, and solidarity, but also to keep alive the lesson that 2015 taught us: that solidarity has the power to change lives and make a difference, even in the most difficult times.
Because, as an Afghan saying shared with us by Nasim puts it,
“The caravan went from place to place, and the stories of Saraban (the caravan leader) remained in every place.”
The first stop of the exhibition is hosted in the neoclassical house formerly owned by Abatzis, at 17 James Aristarchou Street. This historic mansion, itself part of the local history, opens its doors today to embrace memory, just as in 2015 the residents of the island opened their homes to welcome passing refugees: to charge a mobile phone, to share a meal, to take a warm shower, or simply to rest.
Greetings from refugees welcomed by Lesvos
“My first encounter with Europe was on Lesvos and it was very good because the people wanted to help and showed solidarity. I would wish that all of you who were by our side back then remember that, and take a stand today as well, in these more difficult times!”
Tarek,
from Syria, arrived on Lesvos in August 2015, now lives in Germany
“You showed us your best selves. You worked hard to welcome thousands of people every day. You did everything you could. Thank you very much for welcoming us!”
Sara,
from Uganda, arrived and stayed in Mytilene for one month in 2015, now lives in Athens
The Greek people truly live in my heart! I will never forget you and I have great respect for what you did!”
Mohammed,
from Somalia, arrived on Lesvos in August 2015, now lives in Germany
“I am very happy that I arrived on Lesvos when people had their doors and hearts open! You welcomed us. Keep your hearts open because people need you today, too!”
Yussuf,
Kurd from Turkey, arrived on Lesvos in October 2015
Summary of the three-day event program
Exhibition
Saturday 18/10 | 11:00 – 22:00
Sunday 19/10 | 15:00 – 18:00
Monday 20/10 | 17:00 – 20:00
Discussion with refugees, locals, and solidarity activists
Saturday 18/10 | 19:00
The exhibition and the discussion will both take place at the historic mansion at
📍17 James Aristarchou Street, Mytilene
Film Screening: “I Will Cross Tomorrow”, by Sepideh Farsi
Sunday 19/10 | 18:00
and discussion with the film’s actor, Vassilis Koukalani
📍Cine Arion, Smyrnis 9, Mytilene
We are deeply grateful to everyone who tried to find words and images to describe the “indescribable.” Memories and feelings were expressed through words, photographs, songs, poems, and prayers – but also through the silence of those who could not or did not bear to speak. The exhibition embraces this silence, too, as an integral part of memory.