A NEW documentary from the director of Nae Pasaran sheds light on the events of the Kenmure Street protest in 2021 and the wider history of resistance.
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched for Everybody to Kenmure Street, a feature film about the protest sparked by the Home Office’s attempt to take two local residents into immigration detention.
As the events on the day unfolded, filmmaker Felipe Bustos Sierra remembers thinking: “This is going to end so badly…” But by the end of the day he noticed something unique about the protest.
“It’s hard to find positive news that’s not quite twee, or just cute but in a sort of ineffectual way,” he said. “But this was good news.
“People’s lives were literally changed as a result. I was told by people who have been campaigning for years on this … they never thought they’d get something as joyful as that day.”
From that point, the Chilean-Belgian film director, producer and editor started interviewing individuals involved and gathering more than 100 videos of the day, from brief clips to footage from protesters who live-streamed the entire incident on Facebook.
“People treated their phones like an image hoover. Like a shovel,” Sierra said. “We’re collecting all these images together and giving them fluency and meaning.”
As well as an exploration of the events and people at Kenmure Street, the film will chart the many threads leading to and from it. Producer Ciara Barry explains: “It starts from that day of protest, then the film will look beyond that day.”
Sierra believes stories such as his are not told as often, or recorded as thoroughly, as they should be: “We have this footage, we have these people, we can present a more accurate version of what happened and of people’s actual motivation. It’s important to bear witness and document these events.
I’m hoping the film will connect a lot of dots people have not thought about before.”
The crowdfunding campaign will allow production on the project to conclude. So far, the Kickstarter has raised more than £10,000.
The campaign page states: “This is where our film lives, in the motivations that brought everyone to the street and the sacrifices people were ready to make for two strangers in a windowless van.
‘This allows us to tell a much bigger story of the protests that have shaped the lives and fates of those involved, and of history repeating itself over centuries in a small geographical space.
“This is our opportunity to set the record straight and most importantly create an authentic document of protest history.
“It ends with a rare and spectacular moment of joy, one of the best happy endings you’ll get to see in a documentary.”
According to Barry: “Crowdfunding campaigns feel integral to documentary filmmaking these days. It’s an amazing chance to connect with your audience.
“When you’re making a documentary you can connect with the people who respond to the material we have so far. It’s nice to get an idea of what this meant to a lot of people.”
Nae Pasaran, Sierra’s film about the East Kilbride factory workers who joined forces to stop repairs of jet engines for the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, was partly funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign. It went on to win Bafta Scotland’s Best Feature Film award and have a record-breaking run in UK cinemas.
The two films share themes of solidarity and resistance. Sierra said: “Nae Pasaran is about people who don’t consider themselves to be powerful but within their space know, ‘I can move this, I can use this tool’ and then hope that will get picked up by someone else who can expand on it. It’s a baton relay of solidarity.”
The new film’s title comes from messages circulating in WhatsApp groups and video messages throughout the day. According to the director, it is what “won the day”.
Sierra said: “Seeing those types of stories on the big screen will make a difference for people who are still wanting to take that step. Seeing people take those chances and be successful, might inspire others to take action. Critical mass works”
You can find out more about the project and the crowdfunder at: www.kickstarter.com/projects/debasers/everybody-to-kenmure-street
