As part of the Exodus Festival and Refugee Week 2006 (19 – 25 June) a UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, Greater Manchester’s refugee communities present a diverse programme of short films giving fresh perspectives on their lives.
The filmmakers will be present after the screening for a Q&A. Supported by the Diversity Exchange Network. Tickets: £3 full/£2 concs
Portrait of an Artist in Exile (12’47”; Dir. Abigail Howkins, 2005)
Talented painter, Pavel Romanov deserted the Russian Army in 2000 and ‘ended up’ in Glasgow, Scotland. Living in temporary hostel accommodation in Central Glasgow, he tells us his experience of being an ‘Artist in Exile’ in Scotland.
Esrafil (Docudrama 7’30”; RAPAR/ MCDAS, 2005)
Poignant re-telling of the story of Esrafil, a young man from Iran seeking asylum in Manchester. Evicted from his flat and facing destitution, Esrafil hits rock bottom.
Surviving in Shawbridge (Documentary 8’; Virtual Migrants, Dir. Kooj Chuhan, 2005)
Racist violence is a daily occurrence for young music group “4D” who are based in the roughest part of Glasgow.
Refuge (Documentary 17’; Dir. Yasmin Yaqub, 2005)
The stories of eight asylum seekers based in Greater Manchester are interwoven in this visually stunning photomontage.
The Sword (Fiction 6’; Kooch Cinema Project, Dir. Kambez Benam, 2005)
A surreal tale that centres on the relationship of a couple hoping for transformation and change.
Refugee Exodus (Documentary 12’; WFA, Dir. Leon Seth & Sandra Chapman, 2006)
Exodus Music Festival Performers explore what the word asylum seeker means to different people.
Dark Place (Fiction 10’; Kurdish Creative Film Centre, Dir. Alan Amin, 2004)
A Kurdish man is captured and tortured under Saddam Hussain’s regime. Is this the end of his struggle?
Seeker (Fiction 10’; Tractor Films, Dir. Omelihu Nwanguma and Adam Hutchings)
Nigerian immigrant, Olu, resorts to desperate measures to survive in London in a bid to convince his family back home that he is living the rich life they expect him to.
Asylum Birds (Documentary 5’05”; Kooch Cinema Project, Dir.Hassan M Nejad, 2005)
This moving and meditative film poem explores notions of asylum, disability and attitudes within today’s society, opening up a wider reflection on what it means to have ‘freedom’.