Everybody To Kenmure Street To Open Glasgow Film Festival
Later this month the Glasgow Film Festival launches its 2026 line up but, ahead of that, it’s whetted our appetites with the announcement of the opening film. It’s Everybody To Kenmure Street.
Felipe Bustos Sierraโs documentary about one of Scotlandโs most spontaneous and successful acts of civil resistance in recent memory will open the festivalโs 22nd edition on February 25th.
In May 2021, a UK Home Office dawn raid in the Glasgow district of Pollokshields, one of Scotlandโs 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 Pinochetโs regime in 1970’s Chile.
Everybody To Kenmure Street paints a multifaceted picture of one of the most memorable moments in Glasgowโs recent history. Directed by the 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…โIโm 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 Glasgowโs 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 Glasgowโs people-loving heart; I canโt wait to share his vision with the world.โ
The festivalย already announced it will close with the Gala UK Premiere of James McAvoyโs directorial debut California Scheminโ on March 8th. Tickets to both the opening and closing galas go on sale at 10am Monday, January 19th at glasgowfilm.org.
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