First Pick: Everybody to Kenmure Street
Every month, Filmhuis Den Haag and Movies that Matter spotlight a promising new film release together. With First Pick, you’ll be among the first to see the film on the big screen, followed immediately by an in-depth discussion after the credits roll. Expect an exclusive preview screening, conversations with experts, and an exchange of perspectives that may change the way you view the film. For our third edition, we present Everybody to Kenmure Street.
An energetic, warm, and compelling documentary about the legendary protest that took place in May 2021 in Pollokshields, Glasgow, one of Scotland’s most culturally diverse neighbourhoods. On the day of Eid al-Fitr, thousands of local residents unite on Kenmure Street in a spontaneous act of resistance against the deportation of two neighbours by UK immigration authorities. As more and more people leave their daily routines behind and join the protest, they form a human cordon around the van holding the two men, preventing it from driving away.
In his second feature-length documentary, Felipe Bustos Sierra (BAFTA Scotland winner for Nae Pasaran) combines interviews, archival footage, and videos captured by bystanders to chronologically reconstruct the protest and its unfolding events. Academy Award-winning actor Emma Thompson lends her voice to the “van man”, the protester who crawled beneath the vehicle to stop it from moving.
Film language: English. Subtitles: Dutch.