Everybody to Kenmure Street is a 2026 documentary film directed by Felipe Bustos Sierra that chronicles the Kenmure Street protests, the community resistance to a Home Office immigration raid in Glasgow's Pollokshields neighbourhood in 2021.
| Everybody to Kenmure Street | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Felipe Bustos Sierra |
| Produced by |
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| Cinematography | Kirstin McMahon |
| Edited by | Colin Monie |
| Music by | Barry Burns |
Production companies | Barry Crerar Screen Scotland |
Release date | |
Running time | 99 minutes[2] |
| Country | Scotland |
| Language |
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The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance.
Synopsis
editThe film follows the events of a 2021 Home Office immigration raid on Kenmure Street in Glasgow's Pollokshields neighbourhood at dawn on the day of Eid al-Fatir. Local residents gathered to prevent the detention of individuals, with hundreds surrounding the Home Office van.[3] Through crowd-sourced footage, archival material, and dramatised scenes, the documentary presents a chronological account of the protest.[4]
Production
editEverybody to Kenmure Street was directed by Felipe Bustos Sierra and produced by Ciara Barry of Glasgow-based production company Barry Crerar.[4] Bustos Sierra lived in walking distance of the protest in 2021, but did not participate, and he says the film is a reminder that "if we don't turn up, nothing happens. I missed out on that collective joy and expression of empathy which to me is happiness."
The film was awarded the Al Jazeera Documentary Award at Cannes Docs, an industry programme held alongside the Cannes Film Festival, recognizing documentary projects presented during the showcase.[5]
The production was supported by Screen Scotland, Scottish trade unions, and a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. Two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson boarded the film as an executive producer in May 2025.[6][7] Thompson voices a subject known in the film only as "Van Man," an activist who launched the protest by climbing under the van and wrapping his arm around one of the axles.[3]
Conic acquired UK and Ireland distribution rights to the film, ahead of its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.[4]
Release
editThe film premiered in January 2026 at the Sundance Film Festival, screening on the opening day as part of the World Cinema Documentary Competition.[8] It won the Sundance Special Jury Award.[9]
The film debuted in the UK at the Glasgow Film Festival in February 2026.[3][6]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 37 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A spirited and uplifting documentary, Everybody to Kenmure Street triumphantly captures a community's witty, determined stand against injustice through the power of collective action."[10]
Awards
editEverybody to Kenmure Street won the Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance at its premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.[11]
References
edit- ↑ "Program Guide | 2025 Sundance Film Festival". festival.sundance.org.
- ↑ "Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026)". Irish Film Classification Office. February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Brooks, Libby (February 24, 2026). "Fight the power – in your pyjamas: the film about the day Glasgow kicked out immigration enforcers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Sundance doc 'Everybody To Kenmure Street' acquired for UK-Ireland". Screen. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ↑ Balaga, Marta (May 20, 2025). "Cannes Docs Winners Include 'Asphalt,' 'Everybody to Kenmure Street'". Variety.
- 1 2 "Documentary about Glasgow's resistance to Home Office raid to premiere in 2026". Glasgow Times. December 12, 2025. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ↑ Wiseman, Andreas; Ntim, Zac (May 16, 2025). "Emma Thompson Boards Felipe Bustos Sierra Doc 'Everybody To Kenmure Street' As Exec Producer". Deadline. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ↑ "Kenmure Street film to have world premiere at Sundance". The Herald. December 11, 2025. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ↑ "Documentary on Kenmure Street immigration protest wins Sundance award". www.bbc.com. January 30, 2026. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Everybody to Kenmure Street". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 30, 2026). "Sundance Film Festival Awards Winners: 'Josephine' Takes U.S. Grand Jury Prize & Audience Award". Deadline. Retrieved January 30, 2026.