Journeys Into Film
Shorts programme available to book alongside upcoming release Limbo

A new shorts programme celebrating filmmakers with refugee heritage is set to screen across the UK.

After starting out as a community cinema programme in neighbourhoods across Manchester and then pivoting online for a digital festival in 2020, the Journeys Into Film programme has reinvented itself as a nationwide touring scheme showcasing stories of displacement. Developed by Journeys Festival International, and supported by National Lottery funding through Film Hub North’s Film Exhibition Fund, Journeys Into Film is a rousing and reflective programme of shorts made by filmmakers with refugee heritage.

It’s apt, then, that the programme’s latest outing coincides with the release of Limbo on Friday, 30 July 2021. Ben Sharrock’s off-beat tragicomedy follows the fates of a group of refugees as they are held in stasis on a remote Scottish island, and is one of the most distinctive observations of the refugee experience to hit screens in recent years.

The Journeys Into Film programme is now available for exhibitors to book alongside Limbo, either as a standalone package, or as individual shorts to play before Sharrock’s feature. Further support is available to sites screening Limbo as part of the Hub’s commitment to championing the best new, independent releases. More information on the support available, and the shorts line-up, is below.

The Journeys Into Film programme features:

The Little Whale on the Beach - an experimental evocation of the refugee experience and the sense of history repeating itself, reimagined as a child exploring a seaside dreamscape. Dir: Parang Khezri, 8mins.

My Name is Anik - the personal story of a filmmaker attempting to learn Kurdish from her grandmother, and uncovering the personal and cultural memories attached to her mother. Dir: Bircan Birol, 15mins.

Ambience – two two aspiring Palestinian musicians struggle desperately to find a quiet space in their refugee camp to record a song for a competition. Dir: Wisam Al-Jafari, 15mins.

Birds or Borders – a mixed media animation exploring the idea of freedom of movement and the reality of living in a suspended, stateless state. Dir: Parham Ghalamdmar, 6mins.

This Is Not a Poem – Cameroonian writer and poet Eric Ngalle Charles travels through rural Wales reflecting on exile, migration and finding a new home. Dir: Eric Ngalle Charles and Greg Lewis, 17mins.

To find out more and to enquire about booking the Journeys Into Film shorts, contact Dan Williamson (dan@artreach.biz), or head to the programme’s dedicated webpage.

Book now

Sites screening Limbo can also access the Hub’s range of release support and funding. This includes: a pre-recorded interview with Ben Sharrock, programme notes written by Dan Williamson of Journeys Festival International and a campaign budget to support marketing, event and audience development expenses. Visit our Supporting New Releases page for more information.

Journeys Into Film is supported by National Lottery funding through our Film Exhibition Fund. For more information on how we can help your next project, contact our team or visit our Exhibition Funding landing page.