Phibsboro For All screenings to focus on treatment of homeless asylum seekers

Phibsboro For All screenings are set to focus on the treatment of homeless asylum seekers.

Taking place at Technological University Dublin, Grangegorman, in room CQ009 in the Central Quad on Tuesday, April 14, the programme features four short films, including Room Taken and The New Policy Regarding Homeless Asylum Seekers.

Room Taken is a film funded under Screen Ireland's flagship Focus Shorts scheme, and directed by TJ O'Grady Peyton. It was shortlisted for Best Live Action Short at the 2024 Academy Awards.

The narration focuses on Isaac, "a newly arrived immigrant in Ireland who becomes part of the increasing homeless population. His unexpected encounter with Victoria, an elderly blind woman, sets off a chain of unforeseen events," according to the logline.

The New Policy Regarding Homeless Asylum Seekers is Dennis Harvey's follow-up to the acclaimed 2023 The Building and Burning of a Refugee Camp.

The film follows Sami, Simon, and Hasiballah - three residents of an encampment for homeless asylum seekers which was burned down by a far-right mob in Dublin in 2023. "The focus of the story is the volunteer response to the latest policy for homeless asylum seekers, rather than the asylum seekers themselves".

The two other films to be screened are Ordinary Treasures: Objects from Home by Fiona Murphy and Maria Loftus and Why Wouldn't You, directed by Lukasz Machowski and Katarzyna Machalek, also written by Murphy and Loftus.

Ordinary Treasures: Objects from Home explores stories of six international protection applicants and refugees, focusing on sentimental items they brought with them while fleeing home.

Why Wouldn't You, created by the DCU Irish Refugee Integration Network (IRIN) and Sanctuary, focuses on solidarity. Through the stories of community members, activists, and educators, it explores how people are working together across difference to welcome and support forcibly displaced people.

The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion with Simphiwe Moyo, Gráinne Gannon, alongside Murphy, Loftus, and Payton.

Phibsboro For All is a group of residents committed to creating a welcoming and supportive environment for everyone who calls that neighbourhood home.

Admissions for the event are free, but donations are welcome.

Reservations for all four screenings can be made on Eventbrite.