Everybody to Kenmure Street

This rousing documentary (rated 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) never puts a foot wrong as it recreates a tense, prolonged stand-off between the police and the citizens of Glasgow one morning in 2021. But this was not just any morning. The Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement team chose the holy day of Eid to roll up in Pollockshields, a diverse, working class area of the city, and drag two men from their homes… Men who had lived as part of the community for ten years. Their neighbours acted quickly. One, in particular, courageously got down underneath the immigration van and refused to move. Soon, a crowd assembled on either side of the vehicle. As the hours went by the numbers on both sides grew…

Director Felipe Bustos Sierra captures the empowering spirit of civil protest, and much of the footage comes from citizen journalists’ cell phones. Bustos Sierra also weaves in the history of the city, including its roots in the slave trade. Emma Thompson lends her presence to preserve the anonymity of the brave soul who dove under the van. There is a temptation to think that ICE raids are just a MAGA thing. But we know that isn’t true, and this inspiring film arms us with something more than information — it reminds us how much can be accomplished through collective action.

Special Advance Screening: June 17

A exceptional documentary, both in the story it tells and in the way it tells it.

Alissa Wilkerson, New York Times

An amazing story… a morale-boosting film.

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian