More Films for Freedom is a short film programme created through a collaboration between the British Council and BFI NETWORK, the talent development arm of the British Film Institute.
The programme builds on the success of Five Films for Freedom, our annual online film programme dedicated to LGBTQIA+ stories, delivered in partnership with BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival. More Films for Freedom showcases distinctive voices of filmmakers exploring a wide range of themes, including sexuality and conflict, intergenerational queer culture, migration, and family relationships.
Across four editions, the programme has supported 11 UK producers in collaborating with filmmakers from Syria, Palestine, South Africa, Nigeria, Libya, Brazil, France/Lebanon and Kenya to create new short film productions.
This year, in collaboration with Kino Muza in Poznań and U-Jazdowski Kino in Warsaw we will present all films from More Films for Freedom.
Below you can find the dates and locations of the screenings:
More Films for Freedom
U-Jazdowski Kino, Warsaw
21–22 March, 17:30
Address: Jazdów 2, 00-467 Warsaw
(Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle)
More Films for Freedom
Kino Muza, Poznań
30–31 March
Address: Święty Marcin 30, 60-702 Poznań
MORE FILMS FOR FREEDOM VOL. 1
- Neo Nahda (12’)
- Shall we meet tonight? (15’)
- Shee (10’)
- A bird called memory (14’)
- The Enchanted day of the eres (11’)
- Egungun (15’)
Monday | 30 March, 6.30 pm
MORE FILMS FOR FREEDOM VOL. 2
- Let my body speak (10’)
- Prayers for sweet waters (16’)
- The man who speak Gayle (10’)
- Baba (16’)
- Nowhere (20’)
Tuesday | 31 March, 6.30 pm
Films
Shall We Meet Tonight?
UK/Nigeria | 15 min | 2025
Director & Writer: Wapah Ezeigwe
Producers: Bisi Alimi, Lanre Njoku
Before entering an arranged marriage, a woman experiences a forbidden romance with an elegant tailor from her hometown.
Edition 3: 2023/24
Neo Nahda
UK/France/Lebanon | 12 min | 2022
Director & Writer: May Ziade
Producer: Antonia Luxem
A young Arab woman living in London discovers a photograph of women dressed as men in 1920s Cairo. This discovery sparks a feverish journey that leads her to uncover lost histories — and her own identity.
The Enchanted Day of the Eres
UK/Brazil | 11 min | 2022
Directors & Writers: Coraci Ruiz, Julio Matos
Producers: Zan Barberton, Scott Radnor
Blending animation and live action, this documentary tells the story of an extraordinary birthday celebration for the Erês — spirits worshipped in Candomblé, one of the few Afro-Brazilian religions that embraces the LGBTQIA+ community.
Shee
UK/Kenya | 10 min | 2022
Director: Lia Campbell
Writer: Anita Ashley
Producers: John McIlduff, Anna Callan
When Magnus tells his girlfriend Shee that he is pregnant, their world turns upside down, forcing the couple to decide whether having a child is the right choice for their relationship.
A Bird Called Memory
UK/Brazil | 14 min | 2022
Director & Writer: Leonard Martinelli
Producers: Rafael Manuel, Naomi Pacifique, Rafael Texeira, Leonardo Martinelli
A musical about Lua, a transgender woman who loses her bird on the streets of Rio de Janeiro — a city that can often be hostile to trans people. As Lua searches for Memory, we encounter streets full of contradictions, oppression and resistance. When Lua begins singing songs from musicals she once watched with Memory, music and cinema become spaces of resistance and hope.
Edition 2: 2021–22
Egungun
UK/Nigeria | 15 min | 2021
Director: Olive Nwosu
Producer: Alex Polunin
In this compelling drama, a woman returns to her hometown of Lagos seeking comfort. Instead, she discovers a path leading back to the past, allowing her to re-examine the people and experiences that shaped her.
(Nominated for BIFA 2021 for Best British Short Film.)
Prayers for Sweet Waters
UK/South Africa | 16 min | 2021
Director: Elijah Ndoumbe
Producer: Naeem Dxvis
We are immersed in the vibrant lives of three transgender sex workers living in Cape Town during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Baba
UK/Libya | 16 min | 2021
Directors: Sam Arbor, Adam Ali
Producer: Hannah Stevenson
Britannia, a queer Libyan teenager living in tunnels beneath Tripoli, dreams of escaping to a better life. But an unexpected discovery forces him to question whether to leave his homeland — and the friends he cares about — behind.
(Winner of the Iris Prize 2021.)
Edition 1: 2020–21
Nowhere
UK/Palestine | 20 min | 2020
Director: Christopher Manning
Producer: Garry Paton
Co-producers: Laura Samara, Baher Agbariya
“You are stronger than you think — trust me.”
A young Palestinian woman illegally crosses the Israeli border to find her long-lost brother, only to uncover the truth about his life in exile.
The Men Who Speak Gayle
UK/South Africa | 11 min | 2020
Director: Andrew Brukman
Writer: Nathan Kennedy
Producers: Thembisa Cochrane, Georgie Paget
“Welcome to the biggest diva and comedy show in the Gayle language.”
Nathan, a young drag performer, is one of the last speakers of Gayle — a secret language created by the gay community during apartheid.
Let My Body Speak
UK/Syria | 10 min | 2020
Director: Madonna Adib
Producer: Noe Mendelle
Our bodies carry memories. The body does not forget. Childhood in Damascus, obsessive-compulsive disorder, revolution, and falling in love with a woman — my body remembers.
See you at the screenings!