THE ROOTS OF MADNESS (2026)
Directed by Edgar Hagen
Production: Edgar Hagen, Mathias Hefel/Vollbild Film GmbH (Switzerland)
Feature Documentary (107 mins)
Why do so many people become refugees?
Attempting to explore the long-term consequences of Western intervention in the Middle East, the filmmakers accompany acclaimed German journalist Ulrich Tilgner as he embarks on his final journey through Afghanistan, Iraq, and Rojava in Syria
Although most people long to remain in their homeland, countless others are forced to flee. Through intimate encounters and conversations with witnesses, survivors, and those who continue to resist, The Roots of Madness reflects on the responsibility of the USA and Europe in sustaining cycles of violence — and on how the same forces now threaten to fracture Western democracies themselves.