PRODUCTION: France 2
DISTRIBUTION: France 2
COUNTRY: France
YEAR: 2024
LENGTH: 36′
DIRECTED BY: Julien Goudichaud

Nothing prevents migrants from crossing the Channel to reach England from the town of Calais on the French coast. Night and day departures in dinghies and even kayaks and toy boats. A highly risky crossing in the dangerous waters between France and England, one of the world's busiest seas. In 2023, almost 30,000 people managed to arrive in England illegally: they are mostly Sudanese, Iranians and Syrians. Reporter Julien Goudichaud crossed the Channel himself in a small boat with 50 migrants and filmed his journey. The documentary reveals how an illegal business has been set up on the French beaches, run mainly by Iranians and Kurds. These people organise the illegal crossing of thousands of people, earning a huge amount of money. Migrants pay between 1,000 and 3,500 euros to board the boats. Goudichaud managed to interview these human traffickers, talking to the smugglers who operate on the beaches and to the boss who runs the business from England.