Hidden Life is the compelling story of the estimated 23,000 Venezuelans on Aruba and Curaçao, who fled to the islands because of the crisis in their home country Venezuela. Although both Caribbean islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, they do not have a formal asylum procedure – unlike the Netherlands. Curaçao has not signed the UN Refugee Convention and the UN refugee agency UNHCR does not know of any Venezuelans who have been granted refugee status on the islands. This means that refugees on the islands end up in a legal vacuum, without access to legal work and healthcare.

What impact does it have on your life if you cannot claim asylum as a refugee?

In the documentary Hidden Life (68.00 min) by Martin Maat and Hans Hermans, nine Venezuelan refugees from all walks of life, for the first time speak openly about their lives in the shadows, in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

From a deserted soldier to a bricklayer and from a catering entrepreneur to an education specialist. They talk about their dangerous flight across the sea, their stay in the detention centre on Curaçao, the lack of access to medical care, exploitation by employers and the constant fear of deportation to Venezuela. All the main characters have in common that they have not seen their family in Venezuela for years.

Hidden Life will premiere on March 27 at the Movies that Matter Festival in The Hague.

Prior to the screening, a panel discussion will take place between representatives of the UNHCR and Martin Maat, director of Hidden Life. Tickets for the screening and the panel discussion are available via this link.

After the premiere, the documentary will be available free of charge on this website in Spanish and subtitled in both English and Dutch.