Guest blog by Lara Deffense
I’m writing this on the train from Rotterdam Centraal to London St Pancras International, still processing what I’ve experienced and witnessed over the last incredible 24 hours.
This was my first time in Rotterdam, my first time attending an international film festival, and my first time travelling on the Eurostar! But most excitingly of all – my first premiere.
Almir (Director of Counterpoints Arts) and I were incredibly lucky to be in Rotterdam for the world premiere of the Displacement Film Fund films at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
The Displacement Film Fund was established to champion and fund the work of displaced filmmakers, or filmmakers with a proven track record in creating authentic storytelling on the experiences of displaced people. The pilot short film funding scheme was launched at IFFR 2025 by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett with support from Master Mind, Uniqlo, Droom en Daad, the Tamer Family Foundation and Amahoro Coalition as Founding Partners, the Hubert Bals Fund as Management Partner and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, as Strategic Partner.
Allies in Exile
Specifically, we were there for the screening of Allies in Exile, directed by Hasan Kattan – a film I am incredibly proud to be a co-producer of, and Counterpoints Productions’ first-ever co-production.
I first met Hasan Kattan in 2024, not long after he arrived in the UK and while he was still in the asylum process, waiting to be reunited with his family.
Even after speaking to Hasan for only a few minutes I knew I was in the presence of a very special person: kind, sweet, humble and determined. I’m pretty sure I said to Hasan in that first encounter that if he ever worked on ANYTHING I would love to support in absolutely ANY WAY that I could (I think I volunteered to make teas & coffees on any future projects!!)
Photo of Hasan, me and all the other attendees of PopChange: Climate & Migration retreat at Darlington Hall (Oct 2024) (where Hasan and I first met!)
We stayed in touch, and after Hasan received his status and began the process of family reunion, an incredible opportunity arose: to submit a proposal to the Displacement Film Fund.
Alongside the brilliant Ornella Mutoni (Producer at Counterpoints), we worked with Hasan to develop the application – treatment, schedule, trailer, budget, visual references, documents – while also supporting him to bring on board an experienced producer, which led to a collaboration with the hugely talented Orlando von Einsiedel and the incredible Grain Media team, known for award-winning documentaries including The White Helmets (Academy Award winner), Virunga and Evelyn.
It was a whirlwind. Everything came together in a matter of days, and in the end the application deadline coincided with the long‑awaited arrival of Hasan’s beautiful family – Rama, Kamelia and Thaer – finally joining him in London. (Talk about timing!)
I still remember exactly where I was when Hasan called me. I was at Highbury & Islington and had to step off the train to SQUEAL with joy when Hasan said his film had been selected! It was the most wonderful moment. And a huge moment! I knew what this opportunity would mean not just for Hasan, but for this story, which felt more important than ever to tell now.
The Making Of
Over the following months, Hasan worked tirelessly on the film – commuting long distances, working incredibly long hours, and sifting through years of archive footage and painful memories. All of this while also supporting his family as they settled into a new country: finding housing, schools, healthcare, navigating new systems, a new language – everything.
Alongside Orlando and the Grain Media team, Hasan created Allies in Exile: an intimate, moving and powerful short documentary about his best friend of 15 years, Fadi. The film traces their experience of living in an asylum hotel in the UK, interwoven with their earlier lives as journalists in Assad’s Syria, and later displacement in Turkey. It is a story of war, displacement and friendship.
When I watched the first cut, I was floored by how moving it was. So tender. So intimate. Devastating at times, terrifying at others – and throughout it all: a beautiful, pure friendship between two wonderful men.
Hasan speaks about how storytelling, for him, is a way to survive. With no clear end goal in mind, Hasan and Fadi documented everything: the mundane, the shocking, the heartbreaking. Their footage reflects the uncertainty that so many people who are forced to flee their homes experience – danger, long journeys, mindless waiting, painful bureaucracy and separation from loved ones – while never letting go of memory, humour, love and hope.
After months of intense work, Hasan delivered the finished film just before Christmas 2025, ready for its world premiere at IFFR in January 2026.
Premiere Night at IFFR
The Displacement Film Fund premiere took place in a 900-seat cinema (the biggest cinema I’ve ever been in… and it was completely full!).
Photo of Hasan with editor Matt
By the time we arrived, Hasan had already spent the whole day living the life of a Hollywood movie star with a jam-packed schedule of press interviews, talks and photoshoots alongside Cate Blanchett.
Some pictures of Hasan doing press!
(Photos of us before the screening – I clearly couldn’t hide how excited I was!)
Before the screening, we heard from poet Amanda Gorman, Clare Stewart the Director of IFFR, and Cate Blanchett.
We watched two brilliant films before Hasan’s: an eerily beautiful and striking short “Rotation” by Ukranian director Marina Er Horbach, and Super Afghan Gym – energetic, joyful and full of life by Shahrbanu Sadat.
Even having seen Allies in Exile six times already, watching it with such a large audience for the first time was a genuinely heart-expanding experience. It reminded me of the power of cinema – of sitting together in the dark and sharing something collectively.
You could feel the responses in the room: the laughter, the gasps, the quiet crying. We were all with Hasan and Fadi from beginning to end.
When the credits rolled, the applause began immediately – and it didn’t stop. The clapping continued through the credits and when the lights came up everyone rose to their feet. The standing ovation lasted almost 5 minutes. I have never witnessed anything like it.
It was overwhelming and emotional.
To see Hasan and Fadi’s years of courage and work met with that level of recognition from a full international audience was indescribable. I was moved to tears (many, many, many tears- see below for proof).
It was a big moment, an honour to witness.
Video of Hasan’s standing ovation! @https://www.instagram.com/p/DULAK3ljOJA/?img_index=2
And… photos of me properly ugly crying next to Rachael Chadwick from Action for Sama during standing ovation for Hasan & Fadi’s film
To see the film land with such force especially in the times that we’re living – with so much hostility, violence and dehumanisations towards refugees, asylum seekers and migrants globally felt so powerful and gave me hope.
After the Screening
After Hasan’s films we watched two other films the beautifully-shot Whispers of a Burning Scent set in Somalia by Mo Harawe and the melancholic Sense of Water by Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof.
All the films were followed by discussions with the filmmakers, and later a reception at Fenix Museum of Migration – a new art museum dedicated to human migration. (Side note: we visited FENIX properly the next day, and it is genuinely one of the most impressive museums I’ve ever been to: it’s HUGE, beautifully curated and ambitious. If you’re ever in Rotterdam, one not to miss! Get the Eurosnap!).
Photo of us on the bus to Fenix – packed with the cast and crew from all the films – it was on the bus we found out that Peter Bradshaw had given the films five stars in the Guardian. I passed my phone around the bus, sharing the good news!
Back at the reception, the evening was a celebration of the filmmakers and brought together artists, partners and supporters from around the world. It was a reminder of just how many people and organisations are involved in making work like this possible – and how many brilliant people are out there, making great things happen.
Photo of us with Cate Blanchett! What a person!! She is radiantly beautiful and she is elegance personified. She came across so humble and was such a fluent speaker. She spoke straight from the heart
At the end of the evening, Cate Blanchett was invited by IFFR managing director Clare Stewart, to articulate what the five films mean to her.
“These are complex narratives that have been realised in an incredibly short period of time,” said Blanchett. “I think that speaks to the passion…and to how much these stories have been bottling up inside the filmmakers. It’s hard enough to make a film in so-called ordinary circumstances but to make them in such extraordinary circumstances, when you’re outside your culture, outside of your filmmaking practice, and give them to us in such a generous way, speaks to your incredible heart.”
“When you see these stories on the big screen, you realise how much we all have in common. There are so few places now where we can gather and celebrate difference rather than shoot one another because we are frightened of that difference.”
“The filmmakers have lived experience of geographic and cultural displacement and what that does to one’s spirit. But we are all at risk of being displaced from our humanity. We do so at our peril. Cinema allows us to reconnect.”
So, what’s next?
It was an honour to stand in that cinema in Rotterdam and witness Allies in Exile meet its audience for the first time. That response has made me even more committed to ensuring this film reaches the widest audience possible.
The film is now being submitted to festivals around the world, and we hope it will continue to travel, spark conversations, and – fingers crossed – pick up some awards along the way. Beyond festivals, the next step is finding a distributor and building a meaningful impact campaign.
We’re looking forward to collaborating with Action For Sama on the impact campaign, and we have many ideas about how the film can be used as a tool for dialogue and change.
The questions I keep returning to are: how do we reach different audiences with this film? How might we get Home Office staff, decision-makers, and people working in asylum accommodation to watch it? How can it be used in areas experiencing hostility, protests and misinformation? How can we have difficult conversations and hold these spaces with care and compassion so we can genuinely widen our circles of community?
Film has a unique power to bring people together, to bridge divides, and to create moments of shared understanding. This film feels like it has the potential to do exactly that.
Thank you Hasan for your incredible hardwork, vision, craftsmanship and dedication, I’m deeply proud and honoured to have played a part in this film’s journey, and I can’t wait to help bring this film further into the world.
Follow Hasan: https://www.instagram.com/hasan_kattan_92/
Follow Allies in Exile page: https://www.instagram.com/alliesinexilefilm/
Some press clippings!
This was Counterpoints Productions first co-production. Counterpoints Productions, Counterpoints Productions is a purpose-driven production studio telling powerful stories of displacement and migration that reach wide and diverse audiences. We produce, co-produce and collaborate on films that challenge dominant narratives, centre lived experience, and create meaningful cultural impact.
ALLIES IN EXILE CREDITS
Directed by: Hasan Kattan
Co-directed by: Fadi Al-halabi
Produced by: Orlando von Einsiedel
Executive Producers: Caroline Willis & Chloe Leland
Co-Producers: Lara Deffense & Ornella Mutoni
Director of photography: Fadi Al-halabi
Cinematographers: Hasan Kattan, Ahmad Attar, Janay Boulos, Ahmad Al Jabri, Mohammed Hardan, Ridvan Kattan, Mohamad Daboul
Edited by: Matthew Scholes
Post Producer: Alex Spence
Associate Producer: Ahmad Attar
Special thanks to Waad Al-Kateab
A Grain Media, AMC Media & Counterpoints Arts Production
Post Production: The Farm
