On Monday 20th June, Hostile screened at the Broadway Cinema in Nottingham to a sold out audience of 120 people. This was the first of 5 screenings taking place to celebrate Refugee Week 2022.
After the screening, Professor Helen O’Nions, Associate Professor Nottingham Law School, hosted a Q&A with Sonita and Jane Henson from Host Nottingham, a charity dedicated to providing short-term accommodation for asylum seekers and newly recognised refugees.
The screening was attended by local organisations from across Nottingham to support Refugee Week, as well as members of the public with lived experience of the hostile environment.
The discussion that followed touched on the timeliness of Hostile, the importance of Refugee Week and how continuous law changes can leave people who were previously documented as undocumented through no fault of their own.
Jane Henson of Host Nottingham said that it was “a huge privilege to see such a thought provoking film here at Broadway in Nottingham and have the opportunity for the audience, which included a number of Asylum Seekers and Refugees, and to be able to hear from the Director and Writer and ask questions.”
Caroline Henningan, Programme Director at Broadway Cinema, said that “it’s so exciting for an audience to interact with the person who has created the film, and yesterday felt like a very special night that people will remember and be inspired by.”
On the train back from the screening, Sonita met His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, the High Commissioner for Jamaica, and agreed to put on a screening of Hostile in Jamaica.
Today also marks Windrush Day, and we wanted to take the opportunity to recognise the contributions of the Windrush generation, and show support for everyone who was affected by the Windrush Scandal.