Later this month the Glasgow Film Festival will launch it’s 2026 line up. The festival is in a teasing mode today revealing the opening film, Everybody To Kenmure Street.
Felipe Bustos Sierra’s documentary about one of Scotland’s most spontaneous and successful acts of civil resistance in recent memory will open the festival’s 22nd edition on 25th February.
In May 2021, a UK Home Office dawn raid in the Glasgow district of Pollokshields, one of Scotland’s most diverse neighbourhoods, prompted local residents to rush to the streets to stop the deportation of their neighbours.
As word spread in the early morning of what was Eid celebrations for many locals, a handful of protestors swelled to hundreds of people, flooding Kenmure Street and making it impassable to the immigration enforcement van. The eight-hour stand-off made international headlines as the community organised itself in an extraordinary act of peaceful solidarity.
The director is no stranger to the film festival. Back in 2018 his hit documentary Nae Pasaran told the story of how the boycott of East Kilbride Rolls Royce factory workers helped end Pinochet’s regime in 1970s Chile.
Everybody To Kenmure Street paints a multifaceted picture of one of the most memorable moments in Glasgow’s recent history. Directed by Glasgow based BAFTA-winning filmmaker, the film uses crowd-sourced footage from the day along with archive film and set-designed scenes captured by cinematographer Kirstin McMahon, featuring actors relaying verbatim the testimonies of contributors who wished to remain anonymous. Oscar winning actor Emma Thompson is also one of the film’s executive producers.
“This film is a snapshot of a day, of a neighbourhood, and of gestures repeated through time, for the right to have a voice and to live in peace. Glasgow’s long history of civil disobedience and meaningful change has been a barometer throughout the making of this film. I cannot wait to watch it at the GFT with its hometown audience, for whom we can only hope it’ll be a joyful reminder of what a beacon they can be in uncertain times.” said Felipe Bustos Sierra.
The festival’s head programmer Paul Gallagher also commented…“I’m delighted that Felipe Bustos Sierra will be returning to GFF to open our festival with this hugely inspiring film. Everybody to Kenmure Street tells a story that is pertinent for the whole world right now, focusing on a very specific moment in Glasgow’s recent past to offer a deeply moving vision of community action and resistance to injustice. With this film Felipe has captured an essential aspect of Glasgow’s people-loving heart; I can’t wait to share his vision with the world.”
The festival already announced it will close with the Gala UK Premiere of James McAvoy’s directorial debut California Schemin’ on 8th March. Tickets to both the opening gala and closing gala will go on sale at 10am Monday 19th January at glasgowfilm.org.
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