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MSPIFF45 Opening Film Encore!

ABOUT THE FILM

From executive producer Emma Thompson and director Felipe Bustos Sierra, Everybody To Kenmure Street was Opening Film at MSPIFF45 and tells a remarkable story of resistance, community care, and the power of everyday people coming together to fight injustice.

In May 2021, a U.K. Home Office dawn immigration raid triggers one of the most spontaneous and successful acts of civil resistance in recent memory. In Scotland’s most diverse neighborhood, hundreds of residents rush to the streets to stop the deportation of their neighbors. One man forces his way under the van to prevent it from leaving. Dozens, hundreds, and then thousands of people pour in, filming, chanting, and blockading the van in solidarity.

Everybody To Kenmure Street chronicles this event through interviews with people who were there, and using footage shot throughout the day. Told from multiple viewpoints, the film captures the chaos and confusion — but also a sense of joy, celebration, and the power of community. The mosque opens its doors for people who need a washroom. Supporters turn up, passing around pizzas, water, and snacks.

Thompson herself appears in the film, re-creating the role of the so-called Van Man, and Bustos Sierra places the events of the day in the broader context of centuries of labor activism and direct action by the people of Glasgow.