The Hummingbird Refugee Project presents The Old Oak

Every ticket sold will help support Hummingbird’s work with young people seeking sanctuary.

The Hummingbird Refugee Project is an award-winning charity based in Brighton, working alongside young people affected by forced displacement across Brighton & Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex. We create spaces where young people can find safety, belonging, friendship and opportunity.

The Old Oak, directed by Ken Loach, tells the story of the last remaining pub in a former mining community that has fallen on hard times. When Syrian refugees are placed in the village, the pub becomes a place of tension and division, but an unlikely friendship between landlord TJ and young Syrian refugee Yara opens up the possibility of something different. A moving story about loss, fear, friendship and hope, the film explores what happens when communities who have different histories, experiences and cultures find themselves sharing the same place.

We’ve chosen The Old Oak because its themes feel particularly relevant today. It invites us to think about what it means to create communities of welcome, how we can build bridges across differences, and how shared spaces can bring people together rather than drive us apart.

The screening will be opened by Hummingbird’s Youth Ambassadors, who will share more about our work and what Hummingbird means to them.

Join us for an evening of film, reflection and community, while helping us continue creating spaces where young people seeking sanctuary can feel safe, connected and welcome.

The Old Oak was nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival 2023 and for Outstanding British Film at the BAFTAs 2024, and won the Prix du Public at Locarno Film Festival 2023.