The Branches are Hope; The Roots are Memory

Through documenting the memories of faith- based activists in Bradford, independent filmmaker Sema Basharan explores the links between Bradford’s religious diversity, peace heritage, and grassroots activism. It’s a poetic audio-visual portrait of Bradford’s unique culture, exploring Sema’s relationship with her home city, in a personal reflection inspired by oral history recordings. We’ve screened both of Kate Graham’s previous short films: Alice 404 (LIFF2019) and Scrum (LIFF2020), so we’re very pleased to present her new prenatal experimental self-portrait this year. ‘The city waits and aches. The little grasses crack through stone, and they are green with life’ Sylvia Plath, Three Women (1962).