This film screening presents three shorts by Marianne Keating, Chris Leslie, Jessica Johnson, and Ryan Ermacora, connected in their exploration of working-class migratory experiences across different continents. From the precarious housing situation of an Iraqi asylum seeker in Glasgow, the exploitation of Mexican temporary agriculture workers in Canada, to the historic repression of Irish labourers throughout Britain, these films share a common focus on working-class lives, struggles and resilience.
Following the screening, a panel discussion will bring together a member of Living Rent, Ciareen Stuart and David Upton, to delve into the themes of the films and link these to their own practices, ranging from applying a working-class perspective to being a creative to developing migrant support infrastructure and networks.
The afternoon will close with a banner-making workshop, resulting in a collectively made banner. Hot food will be provided.
Curated by Arya Hasan. Arya is a curator and DIY cultural worker. He is a member of Solidarity Screenings Glasgow.
Free event. Book your ticket here.
Supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
Films information
NO IRISH NEED APPLY, dir. Marianne Keating, Ireland/Britain (27m) – English with English subtitles
An intricate, complex archival work examining twentieth-century Irish migration to the UK during the 1970s and 80s. No Irish Need Apply questions the ways in which anti-Irish sentiment, surveillance, and wrongful convictions shaped everyday life, exposing the colonial entanglements underpinning Britain’s reliance on Irish labour.
THE BIRD MAN OF RED ROAD, dir Chris Leslie, Scotland (8m) – Sorani with English subtitles
Built in 1967, the Red Road flats in Glasgow were once home to over 4500 people. Now most of the blocks have been emptied and demolition has already begun. Jamal Hamad, a failed Iraqi Kurdish asylum seeker, has lived alone in one block for several months. The demolition company are keen to move on with the demolition preparation but Jamal is refusing to move. If he does move out, he fears eviction from the UK- and if he returns to his homeland, as instructed by the UK Border Agency, he believes he will be killed- just like his parents and brothers several years ago. Living in the block alone is dangerous, but Jamal sees no other choice.
LABOUR/LEISURE, dir Jessica Johnson and Ryan Ermacora, Canada (19m) – Spanish with English subtitles
The Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia is marketed as a destination of leisure, recreation, retirement and wealth. Behind this facade is a largely invisible agricultural labour force, comprised of temporary migrant workers from the Global South. These workers are placed in a system that is inherently precarious and potentially exploitative, wherein their legal status is tied directly to their employer, with no path to permanent citizenship. While the workers pay into Canadian health care and pension plans, they do not benefit from these social goods as temporary citizens. This film aims to make this labour visible, while contemplating the prescribed aesthetics imposed on the landscape within the region. Formally, the film resides at the intersection of photography and the moving image, while embracing the generative structural limitations of early cinema.
Image credit: Marianne Keating, No Irish Need Apply.
