Felipe Bustos Sierra’s Everybody to Kenmure Street took me back to a line in the AR Rahman song, written by Javed Akhtar for Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan: “Toot gayi joh, ungli utthi; paanch mileen toh, ban gayi mutthi (A single, raised finger can easily be broken but five of them together make for a mighty fist).” The stirring UK documentary, executive produced by Dame Emma Thompson, that recently premiered in the World Cinema Documentary Competition section in the ongoing Sundance Film Festival, is all about the power of the collective.
In this chronicle of a civil resistance foretold, the Chilean-Belgian filmmaker reconstructs one fine day in Glasgow in May 2021 when a UK Home Office morning raid to forcibly deport two residents of the racially diverse Kenmure Street, in the Pollokshields area, was met with spontaneous protests by their friends, neighbours and well-wishers. A vast section of the multicultural population there has roots in South Asia—Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. Ironically, the protests were targeted at the policies of the then home secretary Priti Patel, herself of Ugandan-Indian descent.
Quite ingeniously the narrative of the film mimics the movement that it focuses on: it grows as organically as the landmark eight-hour-long sit-in protestation did. What began spontaneously with a handful of people gradually saw solidarity from thousands who put a pause on their daily lives for a shared mission and occupied Kenmure Street for the two men without quite thinking of their own safety and security.
Much as it has happened with similar global movements technology played a major ally with word about it spreading quick and fast through community message networks, WhatsApp groups, mobile cameras and live feeds. In fact Sierra’s most gargantuan filmmaking task would have been to crowdsource the scattered public footage of the event and to then compile and arrange the archival material (special props to editor Colin Monie) into a compelling documentation, once again mirroring how the diffused group of strangers had organised itself, without any pre-planning, at that historic instance.
Sierra places it in the context of the history of civil disobedience in Glasgow, also pointing out some of the contradictions that the city encompasses in itself—from its support for Nelson Mandela and campaign against apartheid to how to it was built on slave trade and Imperialism.
He further intersperses the footage with the accounts and remembrances of some of the participants from back in 2021. Much of what is vital in the film emerges from their doughty personalities and easy-going goodness and unity and the power of direct action.
An inventive filmmaking technique is to act out the parts of some of the significant members of the public who might have, perhaps, decided not to face the camera and preferred anonymity. The actors, in this case, clearly state: “This isn’t my face but these are my words”.
Thompson herself steps in to play the “epicentre of things”, the quick-witted “van man” who impulsively went underneath the immigration enforcement van where the two detainees had been locked and stayed voluntarily trapped the entire duration. This first gesture was a crucial delaying tactic to prevent the police vehicle from moving and, in turn, helped buy time for the rest of the community to assemble. Thompson plays him with a delightfully light touch.
Everybody to Kenmure Street has taken urgency at Sundance, is pertinent in the light of the recent protests against mass deportation of immigrants in the US as well as Black Lives Matter. It is moving, inspiring and energising in that it ultimately places optimism and hope in peaceful citizenry as opposed to turbulent politics.
It’s not devoid of moments of humour either with the pile of food, from pizzas and crisps to samosas and pakoras piling up at Kenmure Street to keep the engine of dissent well-oiled. “An act of care around a larger act of care,” as one of them describes it.
Last but not the least are the rhythmic chants of “Stop deportation. No borders. No nations”, “No justice. No peace. No racist police”, “Black and white. Unite and fight”. Truly music to the ears that resonates long after the film is over.
Everybody to Kenmure Street had won the Al Jazeera Documentary co-production award at Cannes Docs last year. Quite fittingly things come full circle for it as it plays to the home audience next month as the opening film of the Glasgow Film Festival.