In September 1988, Haydar and Meryam set off for Switzerland with their seven-year-old son, Mehmet Ali. Hoping for a better life, they sell everything they own and leave their other children with the grandparents. Their long journey takes them through Istanbul and Naples to the Swiss Alps, exposing them to all manner of hardship along the way.
Based on a true story, Reise der Hoffnung examines a tragedy that took place in Switzerland and reveals how distressingly limited the possibilities for solidarity become when the state excludes people through its laws and borders. A film that has, sadly, lost little of its relevance and that, in 1991, became the only Swiss film to date to win an Oscar.