Dr Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship - with consequences that could change the world as they know it - and Spike's encounter with Jimmy Crystal becomes a nightmare he can't escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival - the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying.

The Independent Horror Society has been dedicated to supporting grassroots horror cinema for over 10 years, and we're so proud to have nearly 2,500 committed horror fans and filmmakers in our ranks.

We have launched the Indie Film Showcase to do what we love best -- bringing incredible short genre films from hugely talented filmmakers, to the wonderful UK horror community.

So join us at the wonderful Genesis Cinema for another evening of fun, meeting new friends, networking, and of course -- over 2 solid hours of incredible short films.

Here's what's in store:

Blight
Matt is unravelling. In the aftermath of a fractured relationship, the reserved landscaper drifts through his days, numb, disoriented, and haunted by lapses in memory. Something is following him. Something that knows him intimately. Confined to a home he once shared, Matt is forced to confront a terrifying truth buried within his broken mind. The past is not finished with him. And some things will not stay buried.

Bloodbuzz
Lost in the Suffolk countryside, a paranoid teenager insists humanity is under siege by climate-mutated mosquitoes. As reality fractures, she must fight to be believed — or face the swarm alone. A claustrophobic blend of sci-fi and psychological horror.

Chimera
A bookish lab technician uses her access to a DNA database to find a date, but the ‘chance’ meet cute turns into something much more sinister.

For Sale
Lucy and David are a young couple trying to get a foot on the first slippery rung of the London housing ladder. Lucy is six-months pregnant, making the whole situation even more stressful. Visiting a potential flat one evening, they are disturbed by the unsettling behaviour of the Estate Agent. He seems determined not to let them leave. Soon they realise why. Someone...or something...else is already living there.

In The Shadows
As night falls, Alice and Clément run breathlessly. In the heart of an oppressive nature, something mysterious is stalking them. They have only two certainties: what is pursuing them is aggressive, and it sees in the dark...

Itch
Itch is a short folk horror story for the dating app generation. It follows Jules and her second date Thomas, an awkward man with an infectious charm...

OBEY!
After the tragic death of her viral dog, Max, a pet influencer is confronted by a vengeful spirit demanding an apology for a life of exploitation.

Pimple
A young boy's pimple bursts, leading to a bloody disaster.

Pleased to Kill You
When a charming but ruthless serial killer knocks on the door of another serial killer, he meets someone who not only understands his nature but also has something far more dangerous to offer.

Still There
A man is being followed. We don't know by who or by what, but it is following him. Every single day. He we will try to avoid, to fight, to forget - but no matter, she is still, there.

Tapestry
A desperate mother performs an occult ritual to resurrect her lost child.

The Fairy Moon
In a small English town, a man’s life unravels after a troubling roadside encounter with a sinister stranger.

The Man That I Wave At
A man has an existential crisis trying to work out who the mysterious man is that he waves at.

Undertone
A sound recordist captures strange sonic phenomena underneath their house and things... escalate from there.

Long live indie horror!

From Academy Award-winning writer-director Chloe Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Set against modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients' worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. Nora turns it down, but soon discovers he's given the part to an eager young Hollywood star.

The Housemaid is a wildly entertaining thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, based on the bestselling book. From director Paul Feig, the film plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems. Trying to escape her past, Millie accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina and Andrew Winchester. But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous - a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters' closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end.

January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab.

In Walt Disney Animation Studios' Zootropolis 2, detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia and turns the mammal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.

Dr Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship - with consequences that could change the world as they know it - and Spike's encounter with Jimmy Crystal becomes a nightmare he can't escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival - the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying.

From Academy Award-winning writer-director Chloe Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Set against modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients' worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. Nora turns it down, but soon discovers he's given the part to an eager young Hollywood star.

In the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic masterpiece, The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, a shy young hobbit named Frodo Baggins inherits a simple gold ring. He knows the ring has power, but not that he alone holds the secret to the survival - or enslavement - of the entire world. Now Frodo, accompanied by a wizard, an elf, a dwarf, two men, and three loyal hobbit friends, must become the greatest hero the world has ever known to save the land and the people he loves. There will be no adverts or trailers before this screening.

In the conclusion of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic masterpiece, The Return Of The King, as armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world - and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome - one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied only by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power. There will be no adverts or trailers before this screening.

In the second part of the Tolkien trilogy, The Two Towers, Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring - but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers - Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron’s fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. There will be no adverts or trailers before this screening.

January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab.

In Walt Disney Animation Studios' Zootropolis 2, detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia and turns the mammal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.

Dr Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship - with consequences that could change the world as they know it - and Spike's encounter with Jimmy Crystal becomes a nightmare he can't escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival - the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying.

From Academy Award-winning writer-director Chloe Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Set against modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients' worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. Nora turns it down, but soon discovers he's given the part to an eager young Hollywood star.

The Housemaid is a wildly entertaining thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, based on the bestselling book. From director Paul Feig, the film plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems. Trying to escape her past, Millie accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina and Andrew Winchester. But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous - a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters' closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end.

January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab.

Dr Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship - with consequences that could change the world as they know it - and Spike's encounter with Jimmy Crystal becomes a nightmare he can't escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival - the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying.

From Academy Award-winning writer-director Chloe Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Two artists in Walthamstow set out to take their street off the grid, kickstarting a solar-powered energy revolution. Inspired by lockdown mutual aid initiatives, artist-activists Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn decided to turn their street into an energy-generating powerhouse – a prototype for a new way of living, with the hope of galvanising a wider push towards sustainable alternatives. Directed by the duo, POWER STATION charts their turbulent journey, from pitching the idea to their neighbours and sleeping on the roof of their home, to raising finance and launching a bid for a Christmas number one single. By turns funny and heartwarming, Powell and Edelstyn’s film is a vibrant portrait of their local neighbourhood, and a charming testament to the power of art in changing minds about what could be possible.

Set against modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients' worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. Nora turns it down, but soon discovers he's given the part to an eager young Hollywood star.

January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab.

Dr Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship - with consequences that could change the world as they know it - and Spike's encounter with Jimmy Crystal becomes a nightmare he can't escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival - the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying.

GIRL TRASH: CELEBRATING THE GODDESSES OF EXPLOITATION CINEMA

Please join Token Homo and Zodiac Film Club in welcoming our precious new baby to the world: It’s a GIRL! And she’s pure TRASH.

Our season opens with MURDERCISE (2023) – a film that stuffs the spirit of GIRL TRASH into a pair of spandex leggings and cartwheels screaming “LOOK AT MY TITS”.

When fitness enthusiast Phoebe gets her big break in an aerobics video, she’s disappointed to discover that the directing is deeply sleazy, her co-stars are all ‘strippers, perverts and communists’, and no-one is showing her the respect she deserves. Meanwhile, a pair of serial killers are stalking the local area, disguised as police officers. Can Phoebe find her way to the top billing in the deadliest home workout video ever made?

MURDERCISE is co-directed by Angelica De Alba and Paul Ragsdale, whose partnership follows in the footsteps of filmmaking couples like Debra Hill and John Carpenter, Russ and Eve Meyer or trash legends Roberta and Michael Findlay. With their own production company, A&P Productions, De Alba Ragsdale are building a growing fanbase who are only happy to step in and crowdfund their camp, fun horror films, helped along with a scene of utterly fabulous regular collaborators that, frankly, we want to infiltrate.

Starring as MURDERCISE’s unlikely lead, Phoebe, Kansas Bowling is the first of our GIRL TRASH GODDESSES. A young legend of California’s indie film scene, her self-proclaimed cinematic influences include the Monkees’ movie and TV series. Bowling wrote her first film, the prehistoric serial killer slasher B.C. BUTCHER (2016), at just 15 years old, then went on, not just to direct it at 17, but to get cult California celeb Kato Kaelin to be in it… for free! The part that put her on the mainstream map was a Manson Girl in Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD (2019), but she’s acted in nearly 40 films, almost all of them low-budget genre flicks lovingly put together by plucky Hollywood outsiders. Her advice to anyone who wants to make a movie? ‘Don’t sit around thinking about it. Just do it, because it’ll be worth it.’

An all-around inspiring watch to kick off our GIRL TRASH season.

/// GIRL TRASH celebrates the women, non-binary and gender non-conforming filmmakers of trash and exploitation cinema, hosted by Zodiac Film Club and Token Homo. All films are served with introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, and subtitles / captions where possible. Tickets from £3.50 + fees. Adults 18+ only. Follow @zodiacfilmclub and @tokenhomo on Instagram for info and updates. Please contact the venue for access information. ///

Programme supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. www.filmlondon.org.uk/film-hub-london

From Academy Award-winning writer-director Chloe Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Set against modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients' worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. Nora turns it down, but soon discovers he's given the part to an eager young Hollywood star.

The Housemaid is a wildly entertaining thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, based on the bestselling book. From director Paul Feig, the film plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems. Trying to escape her past, Millie accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina and Andrew Winchester. But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous - a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters' closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end.

January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab.

Dr Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship - with consequences that could change the world as they know it - and Spike's encounter with Jimmy Crystal becomes a nightmare he can't escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival - the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying.

From Academy Award-winning writer-director Chloe Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Manhunter follows an FBI agent (William Petersen) who brings maniacal killers to justice by duplicating their mindset. The agent's last case, Dr. Hannibal Lektor (played here by Brian Cox), caused his early retirement, but he reactivates himself to solve a mystery involving a killer who murders entire families. Followed by a panel discussion with Nick Walker of the Cult Classic Collective

Set against modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients' worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. Nora turns it down, but soon discovers he's given the part to an eager young Hollywood star.

January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab.

Get your green (and red) cloaks ready to watch the traitors finale in Bar Paragon.

Set against the unforgiving landscapes of rural Montana, Certain Women unfolds across three loosely connected vignettes, capturing the quiet exhaustion and unspoken frustrations of everyday life.

A small-town lawyer (Laura Dern) navigates the end of a romantic affair while facing an obstinate client who refuses her counsel. Elsewhere, Gina (Michelle Williams) struggles to assert herself within a marriage that continually undermines her authority and sense of self. In the final act, ranch hand Jamie (Lily Gladstone) forms a tentative bond with her night-school teacher (Kristen Stewart), awakening the feeling that there’s something more between them.

A masterclass in cinematic restraint, Certain Women resists resolution, allowing the snapshot stories to remain deliberately open-ended. By focusing on the small day-to-day disappointments, Reichardt is able to speak about bigger societal issues of patriarchy, capitalism, colonialism, and homophobia. Moving through snow-dusted towns and bare, wintry forests, the women are bound by their stoicism, isolation, and the weight of lives lived just below the surface.

Seasonal Affective Cinema is a quarterly film club screening movies that aesthetically and thematically reflect the changing of the seasons.
@seasonalaffectivecinema

Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir brings us an intimate, nuanced and candid portrait of Paris Hilton, one of the most famous figures of 21st century pop culture, and one of its most misunderstood. When Hilton first gained notice as a club kid in the late 1990s, people didn’t know what to make of her. With no template for this new kind of celebrity, the paparazzi and the public wrote her off as nothing more than a spoiled party girl. The reality was more complicated: for the painfully shy Hilton, nightclubs were a refuge, a place where music provided escape, joy, acceptance and community. Directors Bruce Robertson and JJ Duncan’s artfully crafted documentary follows Hilton as she returns to music in 2024 with her first-ever concert at the Hollywood Palladium and places the event in the larger context of her life as a public figure who was by turns idolized and vilified. Drawing on decades of personal archives, intimate interviews, vérité documentary footage, and the concert itself, the film uncovers the ways Hilton has navigated both cultural adoration and cruelty. Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir finds Hilton speaking her truth while exploring how music as inspiration, aspiration, lifeline –became the throughline that has sustained her survival,reinvention, and resilience

An ocean of blood. The only hope left after The Quiet Rapture. In the rusting halls of crumbling space stations, the last remnants of humanity craft a submarine to explore the bleeding depths... and weld one soul inside to pilot it. But hope in this void is as illusionary as the starlight. This is not an expedition. It's an execution.

Genesis Cinema and SwingdanceUK invite you along to our monthly Swing dance night!
Learn the steps Swing Dance Class 7.30-8.30pm with Simon!
Followed by dancing led by resident DJ Simon Selmon & guest DJs playing great dance music of the 30s, 40s & 50s & beyond for Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Jive, Shag & Balboa dancers!
A chilled atmosphere where you can meet friends, relax, enjoy a drink or a tasty pizza and dance the night away!

7.30pm Beginners Lindy Hop Class Pre-booking recommended
8.30pm Dancing with resident DJ Simon 'Mr Kicks' Selmon & special guest DJs - all welcome!

Last Entry 9.30 pm

Website: https://swingdanceuk.com/socials/some-like-it-swing/

An ocean of blood. The only hope left after The Quiet Rapture. In the rusting halls of crumbling space stations, the last remnants of humanity craft a submarine to explore the bleeding depths... and weld one soul inside to pilot it. But hope in this void is as illusionary as the starlight. This is not an expedition. It's an execution.

Backstage (Dir. Afef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane)
Aida, member of a Tunisian contemporary dance troupe touring Morocco, provokes during a representation in a small Middle Atlas town, her life and stage partner Hedi, who injures her onstage triggering a series of events through a long night across a forest, on the way to the next village’s doctor.

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

Your Party Tower Hamlets is holding a "Funday Quiz" at the Genesis cinema, with Quiz Meister, Guy Shennan (proceeds to Care for Calais). 2026 looks like being politically spicy, in Tower Hamlets and beyond. There could be tough times ahead, but let's have some fun too!

Your Party Tower Hamlets has been meeting successfully since August, bringing together "new" and "old" East Enders who want to see a different kind of politics.

But as well as meetings, organising and campaigning, we want to socialise and get to know each other. We thought a quiz for a good cause would be good way of doing this - and if you haven't been to a quiz by Guy Shennan, you haven't been to a quiz!

Come as a team, or just turn up to make a team.

£2 per head.

Please join us.

From 3.30pm. The quizing will start at 4pm.

An ocean of blood. The only hope left after The Quiet Rapture. In the rusting halls of crumbling space stations, the last remnants of humanity craft a submarine to explore the bleeding depths... and weld one soul inside to pilot it. But hope in this void is as illusionary as the starlight. This is not an expedition. It's an execution.

Echoes of a Distant Home - Stories of Longing and Identity

In this screening programme, we bring together filmmakers who explore the feeling of identity in the transience created by migration and exile that leaves us balancing the home we lost and the home we created.

Featuring:

Lost In Time (Dir. Maryam Hassanein)
A docu-fiction follows 2 young Egyptian women’s journeys exploring past memories from the 60s-80s through archival home videos, audio recordings, and recreation of movie scenes.

Liminal (Dir. Reem Maghrib)
Inspired by an oral history collection that includes interviews with Syrians living in different cities in western Asia and western Europe, Liminal is a short animated film that reflects on the impact of conflict and migration on Syrian identity.

Bladi | My Country (Dir. Leila Gamaz)
Drawing on family lived experience of destitution and sleeping on the underground in 80s Paris, Bladi - My Country uses the train as a vehicle to explore how displacement feels as an embodied experience across generations. Personal and public archives are pieced together, blurring linear timeframes that speak to the haziness of memory and ongoing colonial subjugation of people we see around the world today.

In Three Layers of Darkness (Dir. Houcem Slouli)
The film follows Ghassen, a young Tunisian man, in his quest to obtain a visa, addressing the themes of immigration and perseverance against bureaucratic injustice for a fundamental right: freely moving in this world.

Bye Bye Tiberias (Dir. Lina Soualem)
Set between past and present, Bye Bye Tiberias pieces together images of today, family footage from the nineties and historical archives to portray four generations of daring Palestinian women who keep their story and legacy alive through the strength of their bonds, despite exile, dispossession and heartbreak.

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

Just Like Us - Queer Stories from the SWANA Region

Unspoken for so long, queerness has always been an identity as part of the culture in the wider. SWANA Region. Whether it’s gender or sexuality, fluidity has always been accepted, until colonialism created hard binaries. In this screening, queer storytellers reclaim these suppressed identities.

Featuring:

Queer Exile (Dir. Madi Awadalla)
After fleeing Egypt in the wake of the 2011 revolution, an activist seeks refuge in Berlin, yearning for a fresh start and the promise of safety and freedom. Yet, his journey leads him to a refugee camp situated in an area frequented by far-right groups staging anti-refugee demonstrations. Caught in the crossfire of hostility in his adopted home and the longing for his former life, he confronts profound questions about belonging, sacrifice, and the true meaning of freedom.

Solers United (Dir. Sara Harrak)
As grass roots womxn's football team 'Solers United' face eviction, emotions bubble between teammates, Nelly and Bills. Enter new striker Sals with looks as impressive as her footwork, Bills can't help but envy her instant connection to Nelly. As the halftime whistle blows, tensions reach a boiling point and Nelly and Bills must confront their emotions to mend their fractured bond.

Please Be Happy (Dir. Elif Gönen)
A short docu-film exploring the varying relationship dynamics within three families on the intersection of parenthood and queerness. Taking the viewer into the intimate real-life environment of its subjects, the film challenges what we consider to be “traditional” family life.

One Like Him (Dir. Caitlin McLeod)
A Jordanian man, Karim must find a way to tell his childhood friend and first love (Ramzi) the truth about what happened twenty years ago, when a single moment changed both their lives. When he can’t find the words, the conversation repeats, becoming increasingly surreal until he loses control.

Neo Nadha (Dir. May Ziadé)
Mona, a young woman in London, finds archived photographs of Arab women cross-dressing in the 1920s. Somewhere between her fantasies and reality, she starts a feverish journey of uncovering lost histories and her own identity.

Mâsk (Dir. Saba Kia)

Inspired by the aftermath of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in 2022 and the enduring weight of diaspora guilt, this film explores the invisible labour of emotional self-containment. It examines how grief, rage and helplessness are carefully edited out of public life, especially for those living safely elsewhere, expected to continue, produce and perform while history burns at home.

I Never Promised You A Jasmine Garden (Dir. Teyama Alkamli)
Tara, a queer Palestinian woman in her late 20s, attempts to suppress her internal emotional turbulence during a phone call with her best friend Sarab, with whom she is in love.

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

Silents Synced pairs classic silent movies with epic rock music to bring audiences a unique big screen experience. Buster Keaton’s 1924 comedy classic is reimagined with R.E.M. 's alt-rock masterpieces Monster (1994) and New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996). In this sublime comedy teetering between reality and illusion, Buster Keaton stars as a film projectionist who dreams of becoming a detective. He uses his limited skills when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend’s father’s pocket watch. Keaton reportedly broke his neck performing one of the many dangerous practical stunts in the film. Whether you’re a movie lover or a rock music fan this is an experience you won’t want to miss!!

A combination of concert footage from Stray Kids’ dominATE world tour with behind-the-scenes material.

It Must Be Heaven (Dir. Elia Suleiman)
ES escapes from Palestine seeking an alternative homeland, only to find that Palestine is trailing behind him. The promise of a new life turns into a comedy of errors: however far he travels, from Paris to New York, something always reminds him of home. From award-winning director Elia Suleiman, a comic saga exploring identity, nationality and belonging, in which Suleiman asks the fundamental question: where is the place we can truly call home?

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

A combination of concert footage from Stray Kids’ dominATE world tour with behind-the-scenes material.

Looking for inspiration, feedback, or a creative kickstart?

Join us at Genesis Cinema for a friendly, welcoming creative writing group open to all levels of experience. Whether you're plotting your first novel, experimenting with flash fiction, or want to start flexing your creative muscles, this is the space to share ideas, get inspired, and push your writing further. Expect lively discussions, writing prompts, and a warm community of supportive writers.

New voices are always welcome. Come write with us!

Sudan, Remember Us - Feature plus short

The ongoing civil war and genocide in Sudan is tragically underrepresented in the mainstream. These two films give us very different pictures from unique perspectives of an unfolding catastrophe in Sudan.

Featuring:

Sudan, Remember Us (Dir. Hind Meddeb)
‘Sudan, Remember Us’ bears witness to a lost revolution and within it unearths a tribute to the power of creativity as a tool of survival and resistance. In 2019, documentary filmmaker Hind Meddab flew to Sudan to film a sit-in protest at the Army headquarters in Khartoum. The people of Sudan were assembling, demanding reform after decades of military dictatorship. There she met a selection of young activists that she would continue to film over the course of 4 years, from the swell of hope and accomplishment following dictator Omar al-Bashir’s fall to the oppression of the military crackdown and subsequent civil war, which today, leaves Sudan in ruins. In conversations, in demonstrations, on walls, it emerges how the Sudanese tradition for poetry becomes a powerful tool for activism.

Nothing Happens After That (Dir. Ibrahim Omar)
In a diligent attempt, Thomas seeks to find a final resting place for their only child, but he is surprised that today is not the right day to do so.

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

Uneasy Balance - Two stories of Lebanese Identity and Displacement

Lebanon has always balanced its western and eastern cultures with its fragile ethnic and religious make up, and thus Lebanese identity has always been contentious. The first film discusses young Lebanese identity after the 2020 Beirut explosion and the subsequent civil unrest, and in the second film we see the identity of displaced Palestinians who have found safety in Lebanon after the 1948 Nakba.

Featuring:

The Jacket (Dir. Mathijs Poppe)
A portrait of Jamal Hindawi, a Palestinian man who lives in exile with his family in the Shatila Refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. Together with his friends, he makes political theater about their profound connection to their homeland, Palestine, and their situation as refugees in their country of residence, Lebanon. When Jamal embarks on a journey to search for an important lost theater prop, he witnesses how the successive political and economic crises have disrupted an entire region and its people.

What if We Were Happy? (Dir. Julie-Yara Atz)
Are events cyclical? Does history repeat itself? Through the director’s eyes, we follow Lebanese photographer Nadim, street artist Roula and the director’s Syrian flatmate Haifa as they discuss being alive in Lebanon nowadays.

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

BLOOD! BOYS! BITCHY DEMONS! Soaked in the red-hot rage of the monstrous feminine, Jennifer’s Body is a cult classic of high school hell, blood baths, and boys who don’t make it home alive. But did you know that lurking beneath the carnage is a rape-revenge narrative, one that reframes girlhood itself as a fantasy of fury and justice?

Hosted by the Bloody Mary Film Club, this screening opens with an intro from writer, artist and academic Mary Morgan @msmarymorgan, whose PhD, I Want Revenge, explores violent women on screen and fantasies of vengeance.

Bloody Mary Film Club: Cult Films to Die For.

A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw.

A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw.

The Forgotten Civilisation

Although it is the birthplace of civilisation, Iraq’s modern history is full of destruction and violence, yet hope seems to prevail. Iraqi stories mirror this narrative. This screening will bring together two contrasting Iraqi filmmakers each focusing on manifestations of state sponsored violence but from very different perspectives.

Featuring:

Tales of the Wounded Land (Dir. Abbas Fadhel)
An intimate chronicle of the war that devastated southern Lebanon for a year and a half, this film captures the everyday lives of those caught in the storm. Through the voices of family, friends, and neighbours, it bears witness to loss, displacement, and the fragile efforts to heal, rebuild, and preserve dignity in the aftermath of destruction.

Sahar (Dir. Kuhel Khalid)
Ali, a political activist in a state that forbids independent thought, is imprisoned in a secret detention center run by government agents. When the regime seeks to break him, they bring his wife Sahar into the same cell. Amid oppression, the couple creates tender moments that reveal the resilience of an entire people.

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

In a post-apocalyptic world, the residents of an apartment above the butcher shop receive an occasional delicacy of meat, something that is in low supply. A young man new in town falls in love with the butcher's daughter, which causes conflicts in her family, who need the young man for other business-related purposes. Followed by a panel discussion with Nick Walker of the Cult Classic Collective

The Miraculous Transformation of the Working Class Into Foreigners (Dir. Samir)
As in all industrialized European countries, social democrats and trade unions led the workers’ movement. And – although not simultaneously – these institutions had lost their impact all over western Europe by the 1980s. Racist policies succeeded in driving a wedge between immigrant and native workers. This factor, together with the de-industrialization at the end of the 1970s, led to the decline of the classical workers' movement in Switzerland as well. Today nobody talks about the ‘working class’ anymore. The term ‘worker’ has become synonymous with ‘foreigner’. Filmmaker Samir uses private family photos, animations, music clips and unseen archive material, to tell the story of migration from Switzerland’s southern neighbours in an entertaining way, from the post-war period to the present day.

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

Rachel doesn't realize she has grown up in captivity working for an advertising agency where her job is to assess Mommy 6.0, her favorite pop star in the whole entire world.

Sumud / Life Endures: Three Stories from Palestine

As far as modern tragedies go, sadly Palestine stands out as one of the biggest injustices of our time. Yet the resilience of its people is unmatched. These three films tell stories of struggle, identity and hope through the eyes of Nakba survivors, exiled Palestinians and genocide survivors.

Featuring:

Adas Falasteen (Dir. Hamdi Khalil Elhusseini and Samar Taher Lulu)
Adas Falasteen or "Palestine Lentils" is a documentary film that tells the story of a Palestinian chef and his role in using his hobby as a shield against the famine caused by the war on Gaza, preserving the spirit of resilience and hope within his community.

Holidays in Palestine (Dir. Maxime Lindon)
Shadi, a Palestinian activist turned French citizen, returns to Wadi Rahal, near Bethlehem in occupied Palestine. The reunion is emotionally charged, and Shadi even dreams of a permanent return. Six years later, he still reminisces about these holidays and shares his story with us… Still haunted by these memories, he leads a peaceful life, far from the suffering of his homeland. Does he see and consider his exile as a surrender or as an accomplishment?

Eyes of the Forgotten (Dir. Khaled Askar)
Journey through 9 Palestinian & Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, experiencing the raw emotions and lives of those forever impacted by destruction, displacement, and death as they navigate life under siege, yet again. Hear their stories dating all the way back to the Nakba in 1948 to the recent Israeli bombardment of Lebanon in 2024, with their pride never wavering as history continues to repeat itself.

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

Fractured Horizons: Three Stories of Migration and The Desire for Refuge

Throughout history, migration has been the most natural human movement, yet colonialism has created an unfair divide between those who have and those who have not. These films tell stories of people risking their lives for a better future in Europe.

Featuring:

This Jungo Life (Dir. David Fedele)
A collaboration between filmmaker David Fedele, and a group of young refugees and asylum seekers from Sudan and South Sudan, who are living and sleeping rough on the streets of Morocco. They call themselves "Jungo" - a name traditionally given to seasonal agricultural workers from Sudan, which is now also adopted by refugees, asylum seekers and migrants on the road. This Jungo Life seeks to tell their story from the inside: unfiltered, with authenticity and without sensationalism. A story of resilience in the face of suffering.

Game Over (Dir. Saeed Mayahy and Miriam Carlsen
The story of a diverse group of illegal Afghan youngsters, who have been left with no choice but to leave their homes and families behind, to flee as teenagers to a foreign country. Left with no one but themselves to look after one another, their incredible strength and yet extreme vulnerability surface side by side in the no-man's land between childhood and adulthood. Fearlessly, they play a dangerous game of destiny over and over again, determined to smuggle themselves into Europe - a utopia far away.

Chiedo Asilo (Dir. Ahmed Shuwehdi)
Following the story of a young boy who is observing the effect of migration in Libya and observing his uncle, who works as a human trafficker. Based on a true story.

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

Home Truths: Shorts Exploring Relationships and Private Lives

Whether it’s family relationships, marriage, or the trivial every day, human behaviour is fascinating, yet there’s always a common thread. These contrasting stories offer an intimate glimpse behind the curtains, letting us into the lives of others.

Featuring:

Hamloul (Dir. Hajar Abdeaziz)
Hamloul is a young race camel forced to retire early due to an injury. Linda Krockenberger, his keeper, is working on raising his confidence again. During a journey across Dubai desert, we’ll discover Hamloul’s unique personality and the deep bond they have developed.

Haj Ahmed (Dir. Sayed Mousavi)
Ahmed goes back home to his mother Afsoon, who is celebrating his return after a long absence. Both mother and son will have to keep up their lies about this absence in order to save their reputation amongst their relatives.

It’s Not About Ketchup (Dir. Nasser Saeed)
It's Not About Ketchup is a documentary that delves into the intricate lives of a couple facing a challenge in their relationship. Centered around a seemingly trivial issue – their relationship with ketchup – but it has deeper dimensions. The film captures the essence of their journey, portraying the nuanced dynamics of love and understanding.

Reviving Eman (Dir. Feras Awad)
Inspiring story of an Emirati paramedic whose career was unexpectedly terminated by a debilitating injury. Determined to continue helping others, she directs her passion into becoming a certified rescue diver and paramedic Instructor, embracing new challenges, and finding fulfillment doing what she loves. A tale of resilience and courage.

Zahra (Dir. Hadi Shatat)
A worker in a clothing factory, pregnant in the last days, finds herself in need of money to have a C-section delivery, which leads her to discover the tragic existence in a community of individuality.

Umm Salama The Matchmaker (Dir. Mariam Alawadhi)
As Umm Salama finally persuades her stubborn daughter Salama to consider marriage, she embarks on a journey to find the perfect suitor for her daughter. However, as Salama starts considering potential suitors, Umm Salama’s conflicting emotions cloud her judgment, leading to unexpected outcomes.

Shame (Dir. Fatema Al Mansoori)
Mahra's attempt to flee from home is abruptly halted when her mother catches her. In the ensuing intense confrontation, Mahra is faced with a pivotal choice: accept her predetermined fate or summon the strength to assert her independence and forge her own destiny.

Self Commitment (Dir. Aseel Ihssan Yaseen)
The stories of women in the world are similar, regardless of their differences and believing in their humanity means believing in our similarity as human beings. These pictures emerge due to a mixture of social heritage, the economic situation that affects both sexes and therefore women, the law which stands against women in some cases, traditions and decision-makers who believe that women are sex machines and servants.

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

I’m Migrant: Koutaiba al Janabi (Dir. Yamam Nabeel)
I’m Migrant: Nabeel Yasin (Dir. Yamam Nabeel)

I’m Migrant is a documentary portrait series of exiled Iraqi artists that lends its name to the festival. Created by the festival’s founder, Yamam Nabeel, it tells the stories of the cultural and personal homeland created by artists away from Iraq. These two episodes are with the Iraqi poet Nabeel Yasin, whose voice carried the nation’s hopes and Koutaiba Al Janabi whose films tell the stories of the suffering the Iraqi people have endured.

I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.

Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) feature in a five-star, triumphantly acclaimed new production of Arthur Miller’s classic play, from visionary director Ivo Van Hove (A View from the Bridge). One family, the heart of the American dream. When wartime delivers profits for Joe, it comes at a price when his partner is charged with criminal manufacturing deals, and his eldest son goes missing in action. Will peacetime bring peace of mind, or will he be confronted by the consequence of his actions? Filmed live from the West End, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You), Tom Glynn-Carney (House of the Dragon), and Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake) also feature in this disturbingly prescient play.