Cinema Social Club and POMOC invite you to a free screening of the award-winning LGBTQIA+ drama Rafiki (2018)

POMOC x Cinema Social Club are excited to announce our upcoming film screening inspired by Pride and Refugee Week: Rafiki (2018).

Rafiki, directed by Wanuri Kahiu, shares the story of romance between two young women, Kena and Ziki, amidst family and political pressures around LGBTQIA+ rights in Kenya. Kahiu is part of a strong cohort of Kenyan women filmmakers, and Rafiki became the first Kenyan film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

Rafiki was chosen through a public voting process among community members in Merseyside. We had curated a selection of six LGBTQIA+ films that touched on various themes, from migration and refugee experience to coming-of-age. Some were created by emerging filmmakers and others by giants in the cinema world.

The event will feature a special introduction by Honorata Mikołajew, founder of Cinema Social Club, and Marzena Zukowska, co-director of POMOC. Following the screening, there will be an open conversation facilitated by Chantelle Lunt, founder of Merseyside Black Lives Matter and Merseyside Alliance for Racial Equality (MARE).

This screening is part of a series of events in Liverpool that use cinema to spark conversations about pressing social and political issues around the world. We invite you to watch the film, join the discussion, and have a drink with us. A bar will be available, and it will be Saturday evening!

The screening is supported by Aya Films, Maritime Museum, Merseyside Black Lives Matter, Merseyside Alliance for Racial Equality (MARE), BHA and Merseyside Solidarity Knows No Borders, among others.

Eventbrite offers the option to make a donation. This would be appreciated, but it is not required to attend the screening. If you do not wish to or cannot pay, you can choose a free ticket. If you would like to support us, please select the donation option 🙂

For updates, follow us on Instagram or Facebook: @polishmigrantsorganise and @cinemasocialclubliverpool

WHEN: Saturday, 1st July 2023

Doors open at 4.30pm / film at 5:00pm / discussion at 7:00pm

WHERE: Merseyside Maritime Museum, Lecture Theatre | Albert Dock, Liverpool Waterfront, Liverpool L3 4AQ: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

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ABOUT THE FILM:

“Rafiki” (Swahili for ‘friend’) is a 2018 Kenyan drama film directed by Wanuri Kahiu which is part of a strong cohort of Kenyan female filmmakers. It tells a story of the romance that grows between two young women in Nairobi amidst family and political pressures around LGBTQIA+ rights in Kenya. The movie was banned by the Kenya Film Classification Board in April 2018 “due to its homosexual theme and clear intent to promote lesbianism in Kenya contrary to the law”. Despite being banned in Kenya Rafiki became the first Kenyan film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

Running time: 1hr 23 minutes

Language: English

Age restriction:15 years old

ABOUT THE ORGANISERS:

POMOC is a grassroots political home for Eastern European and migrant women and gender nonconforming people living in the UK to organise together towards dignity, power and justice. For updates, follow us on Instagram or Facebook: @polishmigrantsorganise

Cinema Social Club is a film project created by Honorata Mikołajew which involves film screenings & discussions in various venues in Liverpool. For updates, follow us on Instagram or Facebook: @cinemasocialclubliverpool