Everybody to Kenmure Street, the documentary directed by Felipe Bustos Sierra, chronicles one of the most remarkable acts of grassroots resistance in modern Scotland.
The film recounts the events of May 13, 2021, when a UK Home Office immigration raid in Glasgow’s diverse Pollokshields neighborhood triggered a spontaneous protest that would capture international attention.
Produced by Ciara Barry and executive produced by Emma Thompson, the documentary brings the events to life using crowd-sourced footage from the day, archival material, and staged reconstructions featuring actors delivering verbatim testimonies from participants who wished to remain anonymous. Through these voices and images, the film reconstructs the dramatic eight-hour standoff that unfolded when hundreds of residents blocked an immigration enforcement van to stop the deportation of two neighbors.
The documentary made its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance. The film also received a high-profile UK gala premiere as the opening film of the 2026 Glasgow Film Festival at Glasgow Film Theatre on February 25.
Everybody to Kenmure Street is scheduled to open in UK and Irish cinemas on March 13, 2026, and in the U.S. later this year.
In May 2021, a UK Home Office dawn raid in the Glasgow district of Pollokshields, one of Scotland’s most diverse neighbourhoods, prompted residents to rush to the streets to stop the deportation of their neighbours. As word spread in the early morning of what was Eid celebrations for many locals, a handful of protestors swelled to hundreds of people, flooding Kenmure Street and making it impassable to the immigration enforcement van. The eight-hour stand-off made international headlines as the community organised itself in an extraordinary act of peaceful solidarity.
Felipe Bustos Sierra has said, “This film is a snapshot of a day, of a neighbourhood, and of gestures repeated through time, for the right to have a voice and to live in peace. Glasgow’s long history of civil disobedience and meaningful change has been a barometer throughout the making of this film.”
Writing about the film following its Sundance premiere, RogerEbert.com noted, “Felipe Bustos Sierra’s “Everybody to Kenmure Street” is a spirited and imperative portrait of collective action whose urgency painfully speaks to now.”
It added, “From beginning to end, Everybody to Kenmure Street is a crucial documentary capable of sparking an uprising.”
Watch the official trailer for Everybody to Kenmure Street above.
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