Taking place in June each year, Refugee Week celebrates the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary around the world. We always do something special for this and 2023 is no exception! Presenting two evenings of films which focus on refugees’ experiences in both Britain and further afield, we’ll be raising funds for our good friends at the award-winning refugee charity, Salusbury World.
TORI AND LOKITA screens 19 June at The Lexi.
Monday 19 June, 7pm: Tori and Lokita, plus stunning short The Women Inside. Directed by the Dardenne brothers, Tori and Lokita follows two child refugees who pose as brother and sister in Belgium, having left their home countries of Cameroon and Benin. At the hands of opportunistic adults, they face exploitation and hostility, while reckoning with the complex paperwork required to live and work legally. Read Empire Magazine’s review here.
The Women Inside, from local director Bethany Ann McDonald, follows four fictional Black, migrant and refugee women as they navigate the trials and tribulations of going through both the criminal justice and asylum systems in the UK. Their stories are based on real accounts from women from the Hibiscus Women’s Centre. Read more about their incredible work over the last 35 years here.
LEAVING TO REMAIN screens 21 June at The Lexi.
Wednesday 21 June, 7pm: Leaving to Remain, plus short film MATAR. Filmed within the context of the UK's 'hostile environment' immigration policies, director Mira Erdevički follows three Roma who settled in the UK decades ago, putting down roots despite maintaining a profound attachment to their native Slovakia and Czechia. As the UK is plunged into lockdown, the spectre of Brexit hangs heavy, threatening to upend their lives.
Directed by BAFTA-winning director Hassan Akkad, MATAR follows an asylum seeker who depends on his bike to survive, as an unforgiving immigration system pushes him to the fringes of UK society. Co-written by Ayman Alhussein, whose lived experience inspired the story.
Curated by Alba Donnachie, our Admin and Outreach Officer, each of these titles have been programmed for their nuanced and sensitive accounts of refugees’ experiences in the UK and beyond.
For over a decade, The Lexi has had a close partnership with Salusbury World, and we are consistently astounded by their dedication to the welfare of refugee families living in the local area. As the only school-based refugee charity in the UK, they’re able to work with entire families, offering support to parents and children alike. From one-to-one educational mentoring, to exciting and enriching holiday clubs for kids, their work aims to help refugees and migrants to feel supported and hopeful for the future, and to develop the confidence and skills to navigate and succeed in their new home country.
We work together in a number of ways, from hosting a monthly women-only refugee film club, which is an opportunity for refugees to improve their English, to hosting big groups of excited children and helpers during the school holidays!
This June, local people taking part in the Kensal Tri have raised £3.5K (and counting!) to support the Lexi + Salusbury screenings.
This was a particularly inspiring Triathlon, with local councillor Ellie Southwood, who is blind, competing on our behalf alongside her friend, guide, and coach Sophie Barnard, the Tri was a first for both women. Huge thanks also to Lexi regulars Susan, Gordon, Cathy, Kendra and Bittu who donned their finest lycra to support our cause.
We love you, Salusbury World! Happy Refugee Week 2023 from all of us at The Lexi xxx
Gen Sandle
Lexi Marketing and Comms
