Wed 12 July | 18:15 | Pálás Screen 2

2023 | Ireland, Sweden, Chile | 75’ | Documentary

Dennis left Ireland in the midst of the financial crisis to find work abroad. Hashem was a politician in Bangladesh but had to flee for Spain after a change in government and threats on his life. Alicia left Peru for Chile, and then Chile for Spain, after falling into debt selling goods on the streets. By age 18, Ali had fled Afghanistan, Iran and Sweden, finally reaching France, where he hoped to receive asylum. Mary, Dennis’ grandmother, and her neighbour, John, stayed in Ireland for most of their lives, and lived just a few miles from where they were born.

In his first feature, director Dennis Harvey explores what it means to be a migrant. I Must Away follows four migrants who have each left home to rebuild their lives abroad. Narrated through a series of letters from the director to his grandmother, the film disentangles roots, land and identity, and explores the unequal distribution of rights and privileges in our age of migration.

Post Show discussion will follow

Director/Writer/Producer: Dennis Harvey
Cast: Md Abul Hashem Member, Alicia Marisol, Leiva de Zapata, Alireza Naghavi, Dennis Harvey