This event is part of the Building Solidarity & Kinship programme curated by Esraa Husain at the Refugee Festival Scotland 2025. It is delivered in partnership with SQIFF and Eden Court.
We are featuring a selection of short films followed by a panel discussion exploring the Festival’s theme Milestones and elements connected to finding refuge and belonging and the importance of community building.
The selected films are:
Mark Thomas, Permissible Beauty (2023)
Baz Sells, Two Black Boys in Paradise (2025)
Theo Panagopoulos, The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing (2024)
Adéráyọ̀, DISSONANCE (2025)
After the screening, we are joined by Huss Al-Chokhdar, Mya Chemonges-Murzynowska from ACAMHA and Irum and Zalala from the Highland Multicultural Friends to discuss the themes mentioned and share reflections. Our event will be photographed and documented by Chak Hin Leung.
In addition, we are featuring a collaborative mural that was created through a partnership between Highland Multicultural Friends (HMF), the Open Hearts Project, and residents of the Inverness Barracks, which provides temporary housing for Afghan asylum seekers. The artwork brings together longstanding members of HMF – a welcoming Inverness-based community group that celebrates cultural, racial, and faith diversity – with newcomers who joined through the Open Hearts Project, an art-for-wellbeing initiative supporting New Scots. Over a series of creative sessions, participants explored themes of belonging, cultural identity, and community. Each element of the mural reflects an individual contribution, woven into a vibrant, collective expression of togetherness. The finished piece celebrates diversity, resilience, and the bonds formed through creativity and community.
Free event, book your ticket at: https://eden-court.co.uk/event/building-solidarity-kinship-short-film-screenings-panel-discussion
Image credit: Permissible Beauty, 2023. Film still.
Supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
